Treatment of stroke and interventional stroke prevention

Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States. Once a stroke occurs time is of the essence, as brain cells begin to die by 2 minutes. Until recently, treatment was only available to those who presented to the emergency room within 3 hours of stroke onset. Unfortunately, only about 10% of patients will make it the E.R. in time for this treatment. Today, VNI neurointerventionists can extend the life saving window of treatment by up to 8 hours by delivering clot busting medications directly to the brain or by using a special device resembling a tiny corkscrew, the Merci thrombectomy device, to remove clot from tiny brain arteries. By allowing physicians to treat patients who present to the E.R. after 3 hours, physicians can now treat three times as many patients who present with symptoms of stroke.

In some cases, stroke symptoms may be due to narrowing of the small arteries of the brain. This is reported to be the cause of stroke in up to 20% of patients. Thanks to technological advancements, specially designed balloons and stents are now available to treat these narrowed brain arteries, just like cardiologists have been doing in the heart for many years. VNI doctors were the first in the valley to use these specially designed brain balloons and stents to prevent stroke. This procedure can be considered in patients who have had stroke and mini-stroke like symptoms, where either the patient’s symptoms or non-invasive imaging suggests narrowing of the arteries at the base of the brain.