Retrieval strategy for ruptured balloon with circumferential tear during angioplasty for arteriovenous fistula in hemodialysis patients

Introduction: Balloon angioplasty is a common endovascular procedure. The balloon for angioplasty sometimes ruptures (incidence, 3.6%–10%), and it is constructed such that it ruptures in a longitudinal direction and complications related to rupture are rare. However, on rare occasions, retrieval is challenging, especially in the case of ruptures with a circumferential tear. There is no established method for retrieval and careful retrieval is required due to the risk of embolization by the residual balloon fragment. Technique: We describe two cases of balloon rupture in the transverse direction during percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for arteriovenous fistula in hemodialysis patients. In these cases, the balloon ruptured with a circumferential tear and dissected into two parts, and the tip edge remained in the vessel. We inserted an additional introducer at the side of the tip edge, caught the guidewire by a gooseneck snare, and hooked the residual balloon fragment. This also stabilized and increased the stiffness of the guidewire through the “pull-through technique.” Then, we reintroduced the gooseneck snare to catch the residual balloon. We then inserted a cobra-head catheter from the first introducer and pushed the residual balloon. We finally retrieved the ruptured balloon by pulling back the gooseneck snare and pushing using the cobra-head catheter simultaneously. Results: We could retrieve the ruptured balloons successfully using this technique and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty was continued in both cases. Conclusion: Our technique of retrieval may be suitable for cases of balloon rupture with a circumferential tear during percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. The technique enables less invasive retrieval and continuation of the percutaneous transluminal angioplasty thereafter.