Embolization with polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) microspheres: In-vivo studies

Abstract

In this study polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), produced by a methanol-utilizing bacteria, was used to prepare microspheres in the 120-200 μm size range for embolization. A solvent evaporation technique was utilized to obtain microspheres in which methylene chloride, distilled water and polyvinyl alcohol were used as the solvent, precipitation medium and emulsifier, respectively. Dogs were the test animals. Renal angiograms obtained before and after embolization and also the histopathological observations showed the feasibility of using these microspheres as an alternative embolization/chemoembolization agent.