Endovascular Treatment of Aneurysm

Endovascular Treatment of Aneurysm

In contrast to surgery, endovascular treatment of an aneurysm is treating the aneurysm from inside the vessel, not outside of it. This kind of treatment keeps the patient from having to have their skull opened and requires a much shorter stay in the hospital. Not every patient is a candidate for endovascular treatment. Your surgeon will make this determination based on your studies and exam.

The procedure takes place in an angiography suite using a catheter similar to the one used during the arteriogram that you most likely had when the aneurysm was diagnosed. The catheter is introduced in a groin artery and travels up to the arteries in the brain. An interventional neuroradiologist is the kind of doctor who performs these procedures. Oftentimes, the neuroradiologist is also a neurosurgeon.

Through the catheter, the surgeon is able to pack the aneurysm with material that does not allow the arterial blood to flow into it. This technique is called embolization. The material consists of platinum coils. The coils cause a blood clot to form in the aneurysm, which seals it off.

Embolization procedures can be performed under general anesthesia or under light sedation. The procedure may last anywhere from a few hours to the greater part of the day. After the procedure, the patient will need to remain still, lying flat on their back for up to eight hours. This allows the needle hole in the groin artery to heal. The hospital stay is usually only two to three days, but of course will ultimately be determined by the patient's condition.

Learn more about Cervical disc surgery, Lumbar disc surgery, or Craniotomy for tumor and aneurysm.