Influence of temperature on embolisation with cyanoacrylate

We evaluated the influence of temperature on the viscosity of mixtures with different histoacrylllipiodol concentrations and on injection control, to test the radiological visualization of these mixtures. A viscosimeter was used to measure the viscosity of different histoacryl and lip iodol combinations at various temperatures. After introduction of these blends into the polyethylene tubes, their radiological densities were evaluated by means of CT and DSA. Viscosity was found to be directly proportional to the percentage of lipiodol and inversely proportional to the temperature. By digital subtraction, the mixtures were still visible when the percentage of histoacryl reached 90%. Warming histoacryl and lipiodol mixtures to a temperature that is close to 40 degrees C decreases the mixture's viscosity significantly and makes the injection easier to manage. Tantalum and tungsten powders do not necessarly have to be added to visualize mixtures containing less than 90% histoacryl.