AVM
Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) occur in less than 1% of the population, but if left untreated, they can lead to serious health conditions.
The acclaimed doctors at Interventional Neuro Associates, serving the greater New York and New Jersey areas at their offices in East Hills and Brooklyn, New York, are experts at treating people of all ages with AVMs.
They have a specific interest in managing and treating patients with AVMs using the latest technologies. To learn more about AVMs, call Interventional Neuro Associates or schedule an appointment online today.
AVM Q & A
A brain AVM is a tangle of abnormal blood vessels that connect arteries and veins in your brain. An AVM can develop anywhere in your body but is most common in your brain or spine. AVMs affect less than 1% of the population and are more common in men than women.
This tangle of blood vessels causes severe problems because it prevents arteries and veins from carrying oxygen-rich and oxygen-depleted blood back and forth between your heart, lungs, and brain.
The cause of AVMs is not always certain, and they are commonly found after a brain scan for another type of health concern or as the result of a hemorrhage when the blood vessels burst. Skilled neurosurgeons can often treat AVMs successfully.
More than 50% of patients with an AVM have had some kind of intracranial (brain) hemorrhage. The blood vessels in an AVM are usually weaker than normal blood vessels, and this weakening can cause them to burst and bleed into your brain.
There are different types of AVMs and, depending on the type, you have different treatment options. It may be possible to treat part or all of an AVM with interventional neuroradiology/endovascular neurosurgery, which the doctors at Interventional Neuro Associates specialize in.
Your doctor inserts a small tube, known as a catheter, into an artery in your groin, allowing them to examine the blood vessels in question with a special type of X-ray called an angiogram.
During the process, your doctor guides small metal coils along the catheter to the AVM. The coils stay in place in your blood vessel after the catheter is removed.
These tiny coils, roughly the size of a human hair, strengthen the blood vessels. This process is a type of embolization. Another method of embolization is accomplished by injecting onyx and glue to block off the abnormal blood vessels that supply the AVM.
Treatment all depends on the type of AVM, the symptoms you’re having, and the size and location of the AVM in your body. The highly skilled specialists determine your specific type of AVM and discuss with you which treatment option will be most effective.
To learn more, call Interventional Neuro Associates or schedule an appointment online today.
A brain hemorrhage, or bleeding in the brain, accounts for almost 20% of all strokes that men and women suffer each year. The expert neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists at Interventional Neuro Associates, serving the greater New York and New Jersey areas at their offices in East Hills and Brooklyn, New York, are leaders in the treatment of hemorrhaging and strokes and have a state-of-the-art neurological facility to ensure the best treatment options. To learn more, schedule an appointment online or by phone today.
Hemorrhage Q & A
A hemorrhage is a medical emergency that refers to bleeding in your brain. If a blood vessel bursts within your brain, blood can leak inside it. If the blood vessel bursts outside your brain, the bleeding occurs on the brain’s surface.
Both conditions are extremely serious and require immediate medical attention as brain hemorrhages can be fatal. They’re usually associated with a hemorrhagic stroke or trauma, such as a blow to the head suffered in an accident or while participating in sports.
A subarachnoid hemorrhage is bleeding around the surface of the brain. It’s sometimes caused by a burst brain aneurysm and is a type of stroke. Most of the time, a subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs because of an injury or severe trauma to the head. Symptoms can include:
- Sudden headache
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sudden onset of a coma
Certain health conditions and medications such as blood thinners can contribute to a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
An intracranial hemorrhage is a type of acute bleeding that occurs inside your skull or brain. However, a subdural hemorrhage is a type of intracranial bleeding that refers to a collection of blood on the surface of your brain. This is usually the result of your head moving rapidly forward and backward and then stopping abruptly, as in a car accident.
The collection of blood on your brain is called a subdural hematoma, and it’s one of the more common types of brain hemorrhages. Sometimes, it occurs in older men and women or individuals suffering from the effects of alcoholism.
Any type of brain hemorrhage requires immediate medical attention by a neurosurgery expert. The doctors at Interventional Neuro Associates are highly skilled in performing the latest treatments and technologies, so people have the best chance of a positive outcome. Your neurologist determines the best course of action, depending on where the bleeding occurs.
Depending on the severity of your brain hemorrhage, you may need surgery to alleviate swelling and stop the bleeding. Additionally, your doctor may give appropriate medications to control seizures and minimize pain or perform coiling or stenting. It’s possible to recover from a brain hemorrhage, so the sooner you receive treatment, the better.
The interventional neuroradiologists at Interventional Neuro Associates, serving the greater New York and New Jersey areas at their offices in East Hills and Brooklyn, New York, are leaders in their field.
The doctors are highly skilled at using angiograms to perform embolizations along with other advanced technologies and state-of-the-art equipment to diagnose and treat a variety of vascular conditions. Their procedures are minimally invasive, lessen the chances of complicated surgeries, and often lead to favorable outcomes for men and women of all ages.
Angiogram & Embolization Q & A
An angiogram is a type of X-ray imaging that uses a special dye and a camera to see inside arteries and veins. It’s also called a fluoroscopy. The doctors at Interventional Neuro Associates use it to view veins and arteries in your brain, head, neck, or anywhere else to determine the cause of a condition or treat a vascular disease such as:
- Stroke
- Aneurysm
- Hemorrhage
You’ll likely be under an anesthetic, and an interventional radiologist must perform it. Your Interventional Neuro Associates doctor inserts a tiny hollow tube, or catheter, into an artery, usually in your groin area, and threads it through your body to the artery they want to examine.
The dye and camera guidance make it possible for them to see inside your veins. With an angiogram, they can detect aneurysms or blockages and monitor blood flow. Angiograms also allow the team at Interventional Neuro Associates to perform treatments like coiling and stenting.
An embolization is one of the procedures the doctors at Interventional Neuro Associates can perform using angiogram technology. Embolization is especially useful to control brain aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations.
Once they put the catheter in place, your doctor guides small metal coils along the catheter to the aneurysm.
The coils, and sometimes stents or other materials that have been guided through the catheter, remain in place to control the aneurysm, and the catheter is removed at the end of your angiogram. Embolization is also a highly effective way to control bleeding without resorting to more invasive surgeries.
Angiograms make it easier for the doctors at Interventional Neuro Associates to diagnose and treat vascular conditions without invasive surgeries, so many of their patients can recover more quickly from both the procedure and the condition being treated.
Embolization is also very effective at controlling hemorrhaging, especially in an emergency situation such as a stroke or aneurysm. Embolization can treat tumors and arteriovenous malformations in areas that otherwise would pose a great risk to your health or even your life if invasive surgery is your only option.
To find out more about angiograms and embolization treatments, call Interventional Neuro Associates or schedule an appointment online today.