Doctors at a private hospital in the city have successfully treated a young woman with brain haemorrhage through a non-surgical procedure called Endovascular Coiling.
They first inserted a stent into the affected brain artery, then a catheter, followed by a hollow plastic tube through the femoral artery in the groin. This was threaded to the aneurysm. Through the catheter, a soft platinum wire was pushed so that it coils there and disrupts the blood flow, causing it to clot. This seals the aneurysm, preventing it from disrupting the artery.
Brain aneurysms can be treated either through surgery by clipping the blood vessel that feeds the aneurysm or by inserting platinum coils into the artery to seal the aneurysm. According to doctors at Narayana Health City, the second method is preferred as it is a non-surgical procedure. NH City’s Dr Thimappa Hegde said, “Endovascular Coiling is expensive and costs around `4-5 lakh. But it is safer than opening up the skull.”
Dr Vikram Huded, who performed the procedure recently, said, “Ten to 15 per cent of victims of brain bleeding due to aneurysm die before they reach the hospital. Causes of aneurysm could be smoking, hypertension and alcohol consumption among others,” he said.