New model of cerebral thrombosis in dogs.

Experimental in situ thrombosis of the middle cerebral artery was produced in dogs by use of intravasally placed copper coils, which subsequently gave rise to an obstructing autologous thromboembolus. The resulting thrombosis was produced in the middle or rostral cerebral artery within 5-15 minutes after delivery of the thrombogenic device. The correlation of location of the coil in the intracranial vasculature of the internal carotid artery with the anatomic distribution of resulting cerebral infarcts suggests that this experimental model can produce a selective acute local occlusion of cerebral vessels in a high proportion of dogs without violating the cranium. The composition of the autologous thromboembolus, the low mortality rate, and the excellent reproducibility will make the correlative study of thrombolytic agents and their therapeutic efficacy possible.