Treatment of carotid artery aneurysms with platinum coils: an experimental study in dogs

The objectives of this study were to investigate the consistency, patency, and natural history of a vein graft canine aneurysm model and to determine the effectiveness of various coil designs on inducing aneurysm thrombosis. Twenty-one sacculuslike aneurysms were created in mongrel dogs by anastomosing a vein pouch to the common carotid artery. The model produced wide-neck aneurysms with 100% patency. The canine vein graft aneurysm provided an excellent model for the evaluation of endovascular devices. Three types of specially designed platinum coils were placed in the aneurysms: those with simple curves, those with complex curves, and those with flower petal curves and silk fibers. These coils were placed by the endovascular route by means of microcatheters. Flower petal coils with silk fibers were effective in producing thrombosis of the aneurysms, suggesting that coils of the appropriate design may be useful in the endovascular treatment of aneurysms. The other coil designs evaluated, those with simple and complex curves without silk fibers, demonstrated insufficient thrombogenicity and spatial stability.