New Ways to Save Lives Susie Laurie had suffered from migraine headaches since she was a teenager. She never gave them much attention until, when she was almost 50, she fainted and was rushed to the hospital. She was stricken by a ruptured brain aneurysm, but a miraculous medical technology would save her life.
In her brain, Susie had an aneurysm, a weak bulging spot on the wall of a brain artery caused by irregular blood flow patterns in the vessels of the brain. Brain aneurysms often rupture and hemorrhage into the brain. Bleeding from a ruptured brain aneurysm can lead to a hemorrhagic stroke, brain damage and even death. In Susie’s case, she suffered a mild stroke, luckily without complications.
Invasive Surgery Before Innovations At the hospital, Susie underwent a craniotomy, an invasive procedure in which a section of the skull is removed to locate the aneurysm, and then small surgical clips are used to close off the aneurysm from the main vessel. It is estimated that up to 18 million people have unruptured aneurysms and that every year more than 30,000 Americans suffer from a brain hemorrhage.1 The total cost of all traumatic brain injuries, including brain aneurysms, in the United States is estimated to be $48.3 billion annually.2
Susie’s life was back to normal for several years until she had a series of falls, most likely caused by a second aneurysm, which left her left leg slightly weaker than her right. After a particularly bad fall, Susie saw a stroke neurologist. To her horror, Susie learned her computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan results showed that she had another aneurysm the size of a walnut on her vertebral artery. Her doctor told her that the aneurysm had been developing for six to eight years. He recommended a new procedure called endovascular coiling.
Medical Technology Revolutionizes Aneurysm Treatment Endovascular coiling is a minimally invasive procedure that accesses the brain aneurysm through the leg artery. The doctor then places small platinum coils through a tube into the aneurysm. Like clipping, the coiling procedure is intended to reduce the aneurysm’s risk of rupture or re-bleeding.
Susie wasted no time in getting the procedure, in which 16 platinum coils were placed into her aneurysm, along with two metal tubes to support the coils within the aneurysm. Susie was released after 24 hours, and returned home without any complications.
Studies have shown that endovascular coiling, in comparison to surgical clipping, have a lower rate of in-hospital deaths and adverse events, shorter recovery times and on average costs significantly less.
Medical Technology Improves Brain Aneurysm Treatment| | Surgical Clipping/Craniotomy | Endovascular Coiling |
|---|
Hospital Stay | 9.6 days | 4.6 days3 |
Total Recovery Time | 1 year | 27 days4 |
Cost in the U.S. | $43,000 | $30,0003 |
OR Time | 4-6 hours5 | 2 hours6 |
Complications | 18.5% of procedures have adverse outcomes 2.3% of procedures cause in-hospital death | 10.6% of procedures have adverse outcomes 0.4% of procedures cause in-hospital death3 |
“This new technology is just amazing,” said Susie. “I was so blessed that I did not suffer from any huge side effects and had such a short recovery period.”
Nearly a year and a half after Susie’s second procedure, she has continued doing all the things she enjoys, such as reading and needlepoint. She recently visited Israel with her husband and friends for the first time. Susie spends as much time as she can with her eight grandchildren, and looks forward to summers at her Cape Cod home with the entire family. “The coiling procedure saved my life,” said Susie.