Endovascular treatment of experimental aneurysms in rabbits using Guglielmi detachable coils -- a feasibility study

The Guglielmi detachable coil (GDC) has been generally accepted for treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Preclinical testing of new coil developments requires animal models of aneurysms which imitate human aneurysms in size, configuration and neck morphology. We assessed in detail the technical requirements and steps for transfemoral treatment of experimentally induced aneurysms at the top of the brachiocephalic trunk (TBC) in rabbits. We created aneurysms in five rabbits by distal ligation and intraluminal incubation of the right common carotid artery with elastase. All animals were treated successfully 2-3 weeks after induction of the aneurysm, with dense packing of the coils. No complications related to the procedures occurred. The study demonstrates that our animal model can be a suitable method for testing the biocompatibility and occlusion rate of new embolic materials.