Experimental and clinical research on treatment of vascular malformations with retained copper needles.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate a simple, safe, and effective surgical approach to treat vascular malformations (VM).


METHODS
Tissues of vein, heart, liver, and kidney were obtained and pathologically observed from 30 rabbits whose central veins of the ears were retained with copper needles, and the concentration of Cu in serum was measured. In the clinical research, 3 methods were employed to treat 89 patients with VM: (1) retaining copper needles alone; (2) ligaturing lesions and retaining copper needles; (3) retaining copper needles charged with direct current (DC).


RESULTS
After the treatment of retaining copper needles, thrombus, fibrosis, and necrosis of the malformed vein walls gradually increased. The effective rate was 95.5%.


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with copper needles retained in malformed blood vessels leads to denaturalization, fibrosis, and disappearance of the blood vessel structure, and thus it is an effective way to treat VM.
Yin
Guoqian
G
Department of Plastic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of GuangXi Medical University, Nanning China.
Zhang
Jing
J
Zheng
Chengjie
C
Tan
Xiaolan
X
Li
Weixiong
W
Luo
Li
L
Su
Chengwu
C
Fu
Shizhang
S
Yang
Xiaonan
X
Zeng
Yanjun
Y
D000818:Animals; D001165:Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D003097:Collateral Circulation; D003300:Copper / Q000097:blood; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D009339:Needles; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011817:Rabbits
D003300:Copper