What is Stent-Assisted Coiling?
Stent-assisted coiling is a new, minimally invasive procedure that offers patients with “wide neck” aneurysms a non-surgical option that wasn’t available to them before. It involves placing a stent inside of a wide neck aneurysm to anchor tiny, platinum coils that protect damaged blood vessel walls. What is a “Wide Neck” Aneurysm? Aneurysms are weak spots in the blood vessels that are stretched so thin that they are in danger of bursting. Wide neck aneurysms, considered the most difficult to treat, are aneurysms that have wide openings at their base that extend to either side of the arteries. Is it a Common Condition? Roughly five million people in the United States have some sort of brain aneurysm and about 25 percent of them have “wide neck” aneurysms. How Have “Wide Neck” Aneurysms Traditionally Been Treated? Unlike “narrow neck” aneurysms, which are treated with coils that divert blood flow away from vulnerable vessel walls, “wide neck” aneurysms require special attention. Because
