Neurointerventions in children

Endovascular treatment as offered at the Department of Neuroradiology is important for the understanding and diagnosis of such vascular diseases. The procedure is minimally invasive and is performed without open surgery. The vascular malformation is reached and treated via the blood vessels after a small skin incision.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Endovascular treatments are minimally invasive. No open surgery is necessary, which would entail greater risks and a longer healing time.
• Despite all precautionary measures, complications can occur during treatment. These can be: a cerebral hemorrhage during or after embolization or a cerebral infarction due to occlusion of the normal cerebral vessels.

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 four to seven days. Your child will come in 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, your child will be transferred to the USZ and taken to one of our two operating theaters, where they will be met by the surgical team who will perform the procedure.

Aftercare

Immediately after the procedure, your child will be transferred back to the children’s hospital, to a specialized monitoring ward/intensive care unit, where it can be cared for and monitored until the next day. A magnetic resonance examination will be carried out in the next few days to assess the outcome of the operation and rule out complications. After a further one to two days, your child can go home after a specialist consultation. At this last meeting, appointments for check-ups and consultations are also made.