Steel occlusion coils: pretreatment with thrombin.

Stainless steel vascular occlusion coils provide a convenient and effective means for occluding large vessels. Occasionally, coagulopathies or extremely high-flow states delay or preclude the formation of an effective thrombus around this device. A technique is described for pretreating these coils with a thrombin solution. This pretreatment assures a prompt and effective occlusion of the target vessel.