Cerebrovascular Disorders

There are a range of techniques for treating cerebrovascular disorders, depending on the condition.

Arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are treated by microsurgery, embolization therapy, and radiosurgery, in various combinations. The presence of an AVM can disrupt the body’s ability to cycle blood to the body’s cells and back to the heart.

Cerebral Aneurysms can be treated with microsurgical clipping or endovascular coiling. Endovascular therapy is a minimally invasive procedure that uses the blood vessel to access the area in need of treatment. In the case of aneurysms, this treatment is called coil embolization, or simply "coiling.” Embolization refers to the technique of closing or occluding a blood vessel that is doing harm.

Complex aneurysms may require brain bypass operations or clipping conducted with patient under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. Patients with stroke or medically refractory cerebral ischemia, (a condition where the flow of blood to the brain is restricted), may be treatable with brain bypass procedures, carotid surgery, or endovascular revascularization. 

Case Study

The two images below illustrate a case of a 25-year old woman with a giant frontal arteriovenous malformation (AVM).

The AVM is pictured left.

Using microsurgical techniques, a complete removal (resection) of the AVM was performed with excellent results (pictured right).