Comparison of the Clinical Outcomes between Angiojet Pharmacomechanical Thrombectomy and Hybrid Surgical Thrombectomy for Thrombotic Occlusion of Hemodialysis Access

PURPOSE: This retrospective study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes between hybrid surgical thrombectomy (ST) and AngioJet pharmacomechanical thrombectomy (PMT) for thrombotic occlusion of arteriovenous graft. METHODS: Materials and This study enrolled patients who underwent either hybrid ST or AngioJet PMT in Presbyterian Medical Center from July 2018 to December 2018. We primarily compared the technical and clinical success rates between the two groups immediately after the procedures. Subsequently, the postprocedure clinical outcomes, including the primary and secondary patency rates and complications, were also compared. RESULTS: The hybrid ST group had a significantly higher bleeding amount than the AngioJet PMT group (P=0.02). The technical and clinical success rates were 96.7% and 93.3% in the AngioJet PMT group and 100% and 100% in the hybrid ST group, respectively. There was no significant difference in complications between the groups. The primary and secondary patencies at 12 months were not statistically different between the groups. CONCLUSION: Comparable clinical outcomes were observed between the AngioJet PMT and hybrid ST groups, highlighting an equivalent efficacy of these two methods. Although the cost is more expensive, AngioJet PMT lowered the bleeding amount. Therefore, it can be considered in selected patients who are at risk of bleeding or reluctant to surgery.