EMBOLIZATION WITH CELLULOSE POROUS BEADS .2. CLINICAL-TRIAL

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical applicability of cellulose porous be ads (CPBs) as an embolic material for permanent vascular occlusion. ME THODS: Embolization with CPBs was performed in 16 patients, six with m eningioma of the sphenoid wing, two with meningioma of the fair, three with meningioma of the tentorium, two with dural arteriovenous fistul a, one with paraganglioma, and two with spinal arteriovenous malformat ion. Surgical specimens were examined histologically. RESULTS: No comp lications were encountered in any of the 16 patients. Angiograms obtai ned after embolization showed satisfactory vascular stasis in all case s, Histologic examination of surgical specimens disclosed that vessels having approximately the same caliber as the CPB particles were occlu ded without stretching of the vessel wall. Larger vessels were occlude d by aggregates of many particles, which left no open spaces. Although a few inflammatory cells were seen in the thrombosed vessels, inflamm ation evoked by CPB was mild and did not extend to either the vessel w all or to surrounding tissues. CONCLUSION: CPBs were easy to inject th rough microcatheters, traveled to distal sites, and produced homogeneo us and peripheral embolization without inflammatory changes different from other embolic materials. CPBs are a good embolic material for per manent occlusion in the clinical setting.