Brain Vein Compound Successful on Pigs

If it works in pigs, it’ll work in people.

That sums up Micro Therapeutics Inc.’s plans to expand testing of its experimental treatment for a brain ailment this year.

The San Clemente-based maker of medical devices aims to one day sell its plastic Embolyx device to treat patients with a brain disorder characterized by excessive proliferation of veins. In a recent test, the compound, injected into the neck veins of 18 pigs, successfully blocked off the veins--a result the company now hopes to achieve in tests on people.

In one study, a UCLA researcher aims to test the treatment in 10 patients--and the study could begin shortly if the university approves it. Separately, Micro Therapeutics plans its own broader study involving more patients at half a dozen centers.

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Barbara Marsh covers health care for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-7762 and at barbara.marsh@latimes.com.