Case report
Iatrogenic arteriovenous fistula as a rare complication of transradial interventions

A growing number of percutaneous coronary interventions to treat coronary artery disease carries the risk of vascular complications. The percutaneous transfemoral approach has been routinely used for cardiac catheterization and coronary angioplasty. Transfemoral arteriography is associated with significant risk of local vascular complications, so the transradial approach for coronary interventions is widely accepted among interventional cardiologists in everyday practice. The coronary interventions via radial artery are relatively safe but despite the numerous benefits of transradial intervention it also has its limitations due to the anatomy of the radial artery. The radial artery is easily compressible, thus bleeding is controllable and hemorrhagic complications are significantly reduced. Despite the effective application of pressure device and lack of early local complications, transradial intervention is not free of late vascular complications, such as arteriovenous fistula. They occur occasionally, do not threaten the life of patients but often require the intervention of vascular surgeons. We report a rare case of iatrogenic arteriovenous fistula, which developed after coronary angiography performed using the right radial approach.