Aneurysm: A weak bulging spot on an artery wall.
Angiogram: A study which shows the blood vessels leading to and in the brain aneurysm by injecting a contrast substance through a catheter placed in the artery of the leg.
Angiography: Radiography of blood vessels using the injection of material opaque to X-rays to better define the vessels.
Balloon: An interventional device designed for use in the blood vessels of the peripheral and neurovasculature where temporary occlusion is desired.
Brain Aneurysm: A weak bulging spot on the wall of one of the arteries in the brain – also called an intracranial or cerebral aneurysm.
Catheter: A hollow flexible tube for insertion into a body cavity, duct, or vessel to allow the passage of fluids or distend a passageway. Used in the endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms.
Cerebral Aneurysm: A weak bulging spot on the wall of one of the arteries in the brain – also called a brain or cerebral aneurysm.
Cerebrovascular: Pertaining to the brain and the blood vessels that supply it.
Craniotomy: Surgical procedure where a section of the skull cap is temporarily removed. Necessary in the surgical treatment of cerebral aneurysms.
Detachable Platinum Coils: Small platinum coils used to occlude (fill) cerebral aneurysms. The coils are attached to a delivery wire and are fed through a microcatheter into the aneurysm. Once properly positioned within the aneurysm, the coil is detached from the delivery wire.
Endovascular: Within the vascular system.
Endovascular Embolization: A technique, also referred to as coiling, that seals off the cerebral aneurysm and stops further blood from entering into the aneurysm. This method uses natural access through the bloodstream via arteries to diagnose and treat cerebral aneurysms.
Flow divertor: Low porosity stent-like devices designed to reduce the hydrostatic force into the aneurysm sac, induce thrombosis within the sac and facilitate growth of new endothelial cells to reconstruct the inner lumen of the normal parent artery.
Guide Catheters: In the endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms, these flexible tubes are introduced into the patient’s carotid artery (the principal artery in the neck). Once positioned in the carotid artery, the guide catheter functions as a working channel through which smaller devices, like microcatheters, may be introduced into the brain.
Guidewire: A thin, usually flexible wire that can be inserted into a confined or tortuous space to act as a guide to facilitate passage of instrumentation, such as a catheter. Used in the endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms.
Hemorrhagic Stroke: A stroke caused by a ruptured blood vessel and characterized by bleeding within or surrounding the brain. A subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured cerebral aneurysm can lead to hemorrhagiac stroke.
Intracranial Stenting: Vascular reconstruction using stents for the treatment of patients with wide-necked aneurysms.
Ischemia: Inadequate circulation of blood generally due to a blockage of an artery.
Ischemic Stroke: A stroke caused by interruption or blockage of blood flow to the brain.
Minimally-Invasive Medical Technologies: Alternatives to traditional surgery and other medical procedures that reduce risk, trauma, cost, procedure time and the need for aftercare. Can be used to treat cerebral aneurysms.
Microcatheter: A very small catheter used to deliver diagnostic and therapeutic agents such as embolic devices used in the endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms. Over-the-wire microcatheters are fed along a guidewire to the area of the body for treatment. Flow-directed microcatheters utilize the blood flow within the vessel to direct the microcatheter through the vascular system.
Stent: A tube-like device made of metal that is placed into the intracranial circulation for the treatment of wide-necked aneurysms.
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH): Bleeding into the compartment surrounding the brain, caused by the rupture of a cerebral aneurysm; can lead to hemorrhagic stroke, brain damage and death.