Services

Different Strokes for Different Folks

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A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted or reduced, preventing brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients. Brain cells begin to die in minutes. A stroke is a medical emergency, and prompt treatment is crucial. Early action can reduce brain damage and other complications.

There are two main types of strokes:

  1. **Ischemic Stroke**: This is the most common type of stroke, accounting for about 87% of all cases. It happens when a blood clot blocks or narrows an artery leading to the brain, causing reduced blood flow.
  2. **Hemorrhagic Stroke**: This occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, leading to bleeding (hemorrhage) in or around the brain.


Strokes can also be categorized as:

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA): Often called a mini-stroke, a TIA is a temporary period of symptoms similar to those of a stroke. A TIA doesn’t cause permanent damage and is caused by a temporary decrease in blood supply to part of the brain.

A large vessel occlusion refers to a blockage in one of the major arteries supplying blood to the brain. These occlusions typically involve the larger arteries, such as the internal carotid artery, the middle cerebral artery, or the basilar artery. LVOs are responsible for a significant proportion of ischemic strokes and are particularly serious because they affect large areas of the brain.

Impact of LVOs

– Patients with LVOs often present with more severe stroke symptoms and have a higher risk of long-term disability and death compared to strokes involving smaller vessels.

– The treatment for LVOs often involves endovascular procedures like mechanical thrombectomy, where a device is used to physically remove the clot from the blocked artery. This treatment has been shown to significantly improve outcomes in patients with LVOs when performed promptly.

Prompt recognition and treatment of both strokes and LVOs are critical for minimizing brain damage and improving recovery outcomes. Effective treatment can help restore blood flow to the affected area of the brain, thereby reducing the extent of the damage and improving the chances of recovery.

Our Service

Cerebral Angiogram

A Cerebral Angiogram is a minimally invasive procedure used by our doctors to image the blood flow of a patient in the brain. Our trained physicians insert a catheter through the femoral arteries and expertly guide it towards the brain using x-ray dye. From a cerebral Angiogram, our doctors can perceive aneurysms, hemorrhages, clots, and other vascular and cerebral blood flow issues.

Thrombectomy

A Thrombectomy is a procedure that involves sending a catheter up from the femoral arteries into the brain under the guide of a cerebral angiogram. Once there, a clot causing blood flow blockage can be removed and brought out of the body via the catheter. This procedure is life-saving and resumes the regular arterial blood flow throughout the brain.

Minimally Invasive Brain Aneurysm Treatments

When there is a problem of blood leakage within the cerebral arteries, an embolization must often be done to rectify the situation and resume normal blood flow.
There are multiple types of embolization:

Carotid Stent

A carotid Stent is a metal tube placed inside the artery to open up the artery and restore blood flow to the brain. It helps to prevent a future stroke from occurring.

Thrombectomy

A thrombectomy is a minimally invasive procedure in which a catheter is inserted through an artery in the groin and guided, using a dye visible via cerebral angiogram, towards the arteries in the brain.

Once there, the catheter can break up a clot blocking blood flow in the brain and bring it back out through the groin, helping the patient resume normal blood flow.

A thrombectomy is a procedure done by highly specialized interventional radiologists/neuroradiologists, like those on our team at INA.

Pipeline Embolization

Pipeline embolization is an effective solution for many aneurysms that pose difficulties for coiling or clipping procedures. Examples of complex aneurysms include aneurysms that occur in areas of the brain that are difficult to access through surgery and aneurysms with complex configurations.

Although many aneurysms take on the typical “berry” shape with a small neck and a ballooning sac, some have a wide neck that can pose problems for coiling and clipping. Others are substantial, creating a greater risk for rupture, while some are too small to clip or coil. Pipeline embolization makes it possible to treat these “difficult” aneurysms.

We perform the Pipeline embolization procedure to re-treat previously coiled aneurysms in which the coiling “fails.” In some situations, the coils placed into an aneurysm can settle and become compacted so that blood can accumulate in the aneurysm once again. Placing a PED into the artery at the site itself can resolve the aneurysm completely.

The WEB™ Embolization

The WEB™ Embolization System is first-in-class intrasaccular technology offering a single-device treatment alternative to endovascular coils and complex stenting procedures. In addition, the intrasaccular embolization system minimizes the need for a dual antiplatelet regimen required for intraluminal therapies.

Coiling Embolization

Coil Embolization is a catheter-based procedure that allows precise occlusion of abnormal blood flow in a blood vessel. Our trained physician can insert a catheter with a metallic occluding coil into an artery, usually in the groin (the femoral artery). The catheter proceeds to the abnormal blood vessel. Once correctly positioned, the metal coil is released, springing into position within the vessel. It remains firmly in place by the expansion of the metal coils. A blood clot will form on the coil, completely obstructing the abnormal blood flow beyond the coil. Eventually, a scar will develop, creating a permanent seal.