Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery involves comprehensive surgical treatment for blood vessel disorders of the brain and spine. Hemorrhagic stroke, caused by bleeding aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), is treated using state-of-the-art microsurgical and endovascular techniques. Stroke prevention is treatment of vascular disease before neurological damage has occurred.
Endovascular surgery is a form of minimally invasive surgery that was designed to access many regions of the body via major blood vessels. The field is rapidly growing as its minimally invasive techniques offer an immediate advantage over more traditional, yet highly invasive surgeries. Endovascular techniques were originally designed for diagnostic purposes.
Typically the blood vessel chosen is the femoral artery or vein found near the groin. Access to the femoral artery for example, is required for coronary, carotid, and cerebral angiographic procedures. The catheter is injected with a radio-opaque dye that can be seen on live X-ray or fluoroscopy. As the dye courses through the blood vessels, characteristic images are seen by experienced viewers and can assist in the diagnosis of diseases such as atherosclerosis, vascular trauma, or aneurysms. |
