Endovascular aneurysm treatment

Various treatment options

The Department of Neuroradiology offers several treatment options:

Coilembolization

During coil embolization, a fine microcatheter is inserted through the blood vessels into the aneurysm. The aneurysm is then filled with platinum coils, which leads to rapid blood clotting and completely eliminates the aneurysm. Coil embolization with the platinum coils used today was first performed in 1990. It subsequently proved to be highly effective with few complications and is now the most commonly used form of treatment for intracranial aneurysms.

Flow-Diverter Stent

In this therapy, a flexible, very fine-meshed metal mesh is placed over the aneurysm. The advantage is that larger diseased vessel sections with several aneurysms can be treated in one step. After treatment with a flow diverter stent, a blood-thinning medication must be taken for one year.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

• Endovascular aneurysm treatment is minimally invasive, requires only a short hospital stay and has low complication rates. The alternative is a neurosurgical operation, which is a much more extensive procedure.
• The treatment can be used for all suitable aneurysms.

Disadvantages

• In a small proportion of those treated, relapses (= renewed blood flow to parts of the aneurysm) may occur after coiling.
• Very small aneurysms are generally not treated unless there are risk factors for bleeding

Procedure

The first step is to make a diagnosis, decide on minimally invasive treatment and discuss it with you during the consultation. This is followed by a prompt treatment appointment, taking into account the urgency of the treatment and your specific wishes.

The hospital stay for the treatment lasts three to four days. You will arrive the morning before the procedure and we will assess the current findings and make the final preparations. We will be happy to answer any final questions. On the day of the procedure, you will be taken from the ward to one of our two operating theaters, where the surgical team will welcome you and perform the procedure.

Aftercare

Immediately after the procedure, you will be examined to make sure that everything went well. You will then be transferred to a specialized monitoring ward, where you will be cared for and monitored until the next day. On the following day, a magnetic resonance examination is performed to assess the results of the operation and rule out complications. Normally you will then return to the normal ward and after a further one or two days you will be able to go home after a specialist consultation. At this last meeting, appointments for check-ups and consultations are also made.