Water jet angioplasty--an experimental study.

The usefulness and safety of water jet angioplasty was studied in vitro, using agar phantom and autopsied aorta, and in vivo in acute and chronic arterial occlusions in mongrel dogs. At an injection rate of 1.0 ml/s, the water jet produced erosion of the agar surface when the distance between the catheter and the agar was 1 mm. With an injection rate of 1.5 ml/s, erosion was produced at a distance of 15 mm from the catheter tip. When the water jet was directed at an arterial wall, intimal ablation and ruptured elastic fibers were found histopathologically. A smaller angle between the vascular wall and the catheter was associated with less vascular damage. In vivo, water jet angioplasty was effective against acute obstructions, but not against chronic obstructions. These results suggest that water jet angioplasty may be effective against arterial obstruction due to acute thrombus.