Anchor Balloon Technique: Balloon-Assisted Guiding Sheath or Catheter Advancement to Overcome Iliac Artery Tortuosity for Embolization Using Vascular Plugs

Occlusion of an internal iliac artery or its branches is sometimes required prior to abdominal endovascular aneurysm repair. The Amplatzer vascular plug (AVP) is a useful device for this purpose, but it requires a large lumen catheter or guiding sheath to place it in the intended artery. We propose an anchor balloon technique for advancing this guiding sheath/catheter through a tortuous or angulated iliac artery for AVP placement.