A variety of cerebrovascular problems can be treated with minimally invasive therapy rather than a major operation. Some examples are intracranial aneurysms, vascular malformations, carotid stenoses and acute ischemic stroke.
Such minimally invasive procedures are possible in part because of innovative equipment and instrumentation that can be used on the body without the need to make a large incision. Such equipment includes:
- Microcatheters: An extremely thin, soft and hollow tube that is gently navigated into the body for other instruments to passed through and directed to the point where they are needed.
- Microcoils: Spring-shaped, bendable coils that can unwind to “fill up” a defect, such as an aneurysm, safely stopping blood flow.
- Liquid adhesives: These are a kind of “glue” that can be used in the body to block off blood vessels, for example, in an AVM.