Purpose To describe the utility of placental vessels as a model of cerebral AVMs for their embolization with Onyx embolic agent in a training program for neurointerventionists in Medellin, Colombia.

Materials and methods Two human placentas were prepared under an institutional protocol, from which the model of 6 AVM´s was obtained for embolization.

Under fluoroscopy and Roadmap, a total of 10 different arterial pedicles were embolized with Onyx embolic agent at an injection rate of 0.3 ml/min. An injection rates of 0.7 ml/min were performed to intentionally evaluate the reflux behavior of the material embolism. The occlusion rates and the percentage of embolized arterial pedicles were documented. Secondarily, a survey was conducted with three neurointervencionistas with extensive experience in the embolization of AVM’s to compare the behavior of the embolic material in the placental model against human models.

Results The percentage of embolized arterial pedicles was 100%. The expert neurointervencionistas indicated a high concordance of the behavior of the embolic material in the placental model and the human model.

The human placenta has a blood vessel distribution that simulates the characteristics of the normal arterial tree and offers a distal vascular model that resembles an AVM. Due to its low cost and easy preparation, the placental vascular models reliably reproduce the behavior of the Onyx embolic agent and offer an excellent training opportunity for the development of skills by neurointerventionists.

Disclosures J. López: None. O. Vargas: None. C. Díaz: None. V. Torres: None. N. Serna: None. B. Pabon: None.