Artificial Embolization of the Middle Cerebral Artery in Primates

Artificial embolization of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) was produced in the primate, with a technique similar to that described by Luessenhop and Spence (1960) for the treatment of an inoperable arteriovenous malformation in the territory of the MCA. Silicone spheres (1 to 1.5 mm in diameter) were introduced into the internal carotid artery (ICA) via the external carotid artery (ECA). Emboli (1 to 1.3 mm) passed into the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) in 12%, and into the MCA in 50%. Emboli (1.2 to 1.5 mm) stopped at the ICA bifurcation in 54%. In all primates (82.35%1 in which the emboli occluded the ICA bifurcation or the MCA, immediate contralateral hemiplegia developed. The correlation of the anatomical characteristics of the intracranial vasculature of the ICA bifurcation, the diameter of the emboli, and the anatomical localization of the silicone spheres suggests that this experimental model can produce a selective acute "point" occlusion of the MCA in at least 75% of the cases without violating the cranium, in which the resultant changes in the distribution of water and electrolytes in the brain during the acute ischemic event in the territory of the MCA of the primate can be studied.