Plastic-coated guide wire for hepatic arteriography.

A guide wire made of a superelastic alloy coated with hydrophilic polymer has been developed for superselective catheterization in hepatic arteriography. In this study, the new wire was tested in 15 patients and a conventional spring wire was used in 25. Catheterization of the proper or more peripheral hepatic arteries was successful in 93.3% of cases in which the new wire was used versus 76.0% in which the conventional spring wire was used. Moreover, the frequency of complications, such as spasm and subintimal injury, was reduced from 28.0% to 6.7%.