ACR Member Discusses Less-Invasive Procedure to Repair Brain Aneurysms
Statistics show that about 2 million Americans suffer from a brain aneurysm at any given time and if they rupture, nearly a quarter of them will lead to death within minutes. Now, however, a new procedure offers a less-invasive method to repair these potential killers before they can strike.
In the past, the conventional method for dealing with a brain aneurysm was through invasive surgery that required removing a portion of the patient’s skull. Today, however, a coil of platinum wire can be used to fill the aneurysm.
Finding aneurysms is “more and more common ... as we have better and better imaging tests,” ACR member Keith Woodward, M.D., explained in a March 26 article in The Knoxville (Tenn.) Times. “CTs and MRIs are picking up patients who previously may have gone for some time without ever knowing that they had an aneurysm.” As a result, the aneurysms can be identified and treated at a much earlier stage.
According to the article, the procedure requires a plastic tube to be threaded up to the brain. Once the tube reaches the affected area, the coils are inserted to fill up the aneurysm. Ultimately, the artery heals across the coil and creates a new layer of healthy tissue.
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