title: Experimental and clinical research on treatment of vascular malformations with retained copper needles.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of GuangXi Medical University, Nanning China.
authors.forename: Guoqian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chengjie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Xiaolan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Weixiong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Chengwu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Shizhang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Xiaonan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yanjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D003300:Copper