Clover Leaf Inferior Vena Cava Filter: In Vitro Evaluation of Filter Deployment and Comparison of Emboli-Capturing Ability

• Published in: Journal of vascular and interventional radiology Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. 117 - 121
• Main Authors: Palestrant, Aubrey M., Faykus, Max H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.02.1991
• Subjects: Embolism; Embolism, pulmonary, 60.72; Equipment Design; Filters; Humans; Models, Cardiovascular; Models, Structural; Pulmonary Embolism - prevention & control; Stainless Steel; Vena Cava Filters; Vena Cava, Inferior; Venae cavae, filters, 982.1299; Venae cavae, thrombosis, 982.442; Embolism, pulmonary, 60.72; Filters; Venae cavae, filters, 982.1299; Venae cavae, thrombosis, 982.442
• ISSN: 1051-0443; 1535-7732
• DOI: 10.1016/S1051-0443(91)72483-4

A new self-centering stainless steel inferior vena cava filter (clover leaf filter) that can be delivered percutaneously through a 10-F catheter has been developed. The filter is loaded into an angiographic catheter as a set of straightened wires that are mechanically deformed into a predetermined clover leaf shape when the device is delivered. The filter can be deployed easily and effectively into the simulated vena cava. Emboli-capturing efficiency of the new filter was compared in vitro to that of the Greenfield and Bird's Nest inferior vena cava filters. All three filters captured all large 5 × 100-mm, potentially fatal emboli. The clover leaf filter captures more of the smaller (5 × 20-mm and 3 × 20-mm) emboli than the Greenfield filter and less than the Bird's Nest filter.