Intraarterial ethanol as a long-term occlusive agent in renal, hepatic, and gastrosplenic arteries of pigs

The renal, hepatic, or gastrosplenic arteries of eleven juvenile pigs were selectively injected intraarterially with 95% ethanol to evaluate its efficacy as an agent for use in permanent occlusion and infarction of the vascular bed supplied by the injected artery. A dose of 2.2 cc/5 kg (1 cc/5 lb) of 95% ethanol was injected over 30-45 sec. The animals were then killed at 1 to 91 days and all pigs demonstrated tissue infarction and vascular occlusion. Our results confirm that ethanol is an effective agent for the infarction of organs and that complications can result if catheter placement is not precise and normal tissue is inadvertently perfused.