Ultrasound guided transarterial coil placement in the internal and external carotid artery in horses.

The research article investigates the efficacy of ultrasound guided transarterial coil placement (UGTACP) in occluding the internal and external carotid arteries of horses, offering it as a feasible alternative to fluoroscopy.

Methods

• The study was conducted on ten cadaveric horses, three healthy horses, and one clinical case, essentially dividing the types of subjects into two categories: cadaveric and in vivo (healthy horses).
• UGTACP was performed on the caudal part of both the internal carotid artery (ICA) and external carotid artery (ECA). In the case of ICA, coil placement was carried out blindly in the rostral part and subsequently controlled using conventional radiography. No coils were placed in the rostral part of the ECA.
• The researchers deployed UGTACP of the ICA in a horse diagnosed with guttural pouch mycosis of the left guttural pouch.

Results

• The researchers succeeded in performing accurate ultrasound-guided catheterization of the ICA and ECA in all specimens. They also managed to place the coil in all studied cases except one.
• There were no recorded complications in the in vivo study. The clinical case, where the procedure was performed on a live horse, had a successful outcome with the horse fully recovering and returning to its normal routine.

Conclusions

• The study concludes that UGTACP of the caudal part of ICA and ECA offers a viable alternative to the traditionally used method of fluoroscopy.
• The ultrasound-guided technique advantages include accurate catheterization of both ICA and ECA and the ability to identify unusual branching when accessing the ICA’s origin.
• However, when working on the ICA’s rostral part, fluoroscopy is likely a more accurate technique, given that the procedure is carried out blindly.
• In a clinical setting, combining ultrasound guidance and fluoroscopy can reduce radiation exposure time, thus highlighting a potential multidisciplinary approach for this procedure in future applications.