p Dr. Saphier makes a small incision in the groin to enter the femoral artery.
tomy), tumor embolization and screenings for cancer markers. A cerebral aneurysm is an outpoaching in an artery caused by weakness in the vessel wall. Left untreated, an aneurysm in the brain can rupture, resulting in hemorrhagic stroke that can have devastating consequences including severe functional disability, cognitive loss and even death. The basic concept of treating an aneurysm is to prevent blood flow into it by excluding it from circulation. Although some patients are fortunate enough to learn they have an aneurysm before it ruptures, most do not seek treatment until after, when significant symptoms occur. These include severe headache, nausea, disorientation, loss of consciousness and, unfortunately for some, death, which may occur suddenly. Traditionally, aneurysm repair would be accomplished through a craniotomy. This involves opening the skull and gently dissecting the brain to find the aneurysm and sealing or clipping it to close it off. This is obviously a challenging, invasive procedure with the potential for a number of complications. At EHMC, a number of patients with aneurysm can be treated with minimally invasive endovascular surgery. Dr. Saphier explains that endovascular technology involves fluoroscopy and catheterization, a technique first developed by radiologists and cardiologists to treat blood vessels in the heart that can also be applied to treat blood vessels in the brain. In one such procedure, Dr. Saphier, using x-ray guidance, navigates catheters and small wires via a small incision in the groin, through the femoral artery to the blood vessels in the brain. He then identifies where the aneurysm is located and enters the aneurysm with a small catheter in order to fill the aneurysm with metallic coils that cause a blood clot to
p Dr Saphier uses X-Ray guidance to navigate catheters and small wires from the femoral artery to the blood vessels in the brain to repair a ruptured aneurysm. November 2011
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