Occlusion of internal carotid artery in the horse by means of a balloon-tipped catheter: evaluation of a method designed to prevent epistaxis caused by guttural pouch mycosis.

A procedure developed to occlude the internal carotid artery of horses with guttural pouch mycosis was modified was modified and evaluated in nine clinically normal horses. The left internal carotid artery was ligated at its origin and occluded distally with an intraluminal balloon catheter. In four horses, the balloon-tipped catheters were left in place until these horses were euthanatized at 4 to 244 days after surgery. In the remaining horses, the catheters were removed after 10 to 14 days by a cutdown procedure, and these horses were euthanatized 1 to 60 days after catheter removal. In both groups, gross and histologic examinations revealed that occlusive thrombosis had developed in sections of artery distal to the balloon. Postoperative complications were not encountered.