Experimental study of vascular embolization with homemade second-level Copper coil

Objective To evaluate the embolic effect of homemade copper coil in rabbits. Methods Seventeen New Zealand Big Ear Rabbit was included in this study.After conventional anesthesia,one common carotid artery or subclavian artery was embolized with second-level copper coated platinum micro-coils (experimental group) through a 3F catheter,and the other common carotid artery or subclavian artery was embolized with second-level platinum micro-coils (control group) as control.Angiography was processed to observe the extent of vascular occlusion 10 min,30min,3 d,1 w,2 w,4 w,6 w,and 12 w after embolization respectively.The rabbits were sacrificed to observe thrombosis and pathological change of the embolic artery 3 days,1 w,2 w,4 w,6 w and 12 w after the embolization.Vascular occlusion and thrombosis were compared between experimental group and the control group by using the exact probability method and rank sum test for statistical analysis. Results Embolization experiment was successfully implemented in 15 of 17 rabbits.Twenty-one second-level copper coated platinum micro-coils were used in the experimental group,while 19 second-level platinum micro-coils were used in the control group.Ten min and 30 min after embolization,angiography showed that vascular embolization effect was not significantly different between the two groups.The vascular embolization effect of the experiment group was superior to control group 3 d,1,2,4,6 and 12 w after embolization (P<0.05).Pathological examination showed that there were a lot of blood clots around the copper coil and in the proximal and distal arterial lumen.Only a small amount of blood clots was found around the platinum coil in the control group.For every time point of observation,thrombosis was more severe in the experiment group than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Second-level copper coated coil can be released with 4F catheter to embolize the vessel,showing good physical property,flexibility and medical performance. Key words: Equipment design; Rabbits; Embolism; Copper