Endovascular coiling is an interventional treatment for intracranial aneurysms and for bleeding elsewhere in the body, in which detachable platinum wire coils are implanted into the blood vessel or aneurysm to reduce blood flow and promote clotting within the aneurysm sac; coils are deployed in stages, first framing the aneurysm wall and then filling its interior with additional smaller coils. Performed under general anesthesia by an interventional neuroradiologist or neurosurgeon using fluoroscopic guidance, with a catheter threaded through the femoral artery to reach the aneurysm, the procedure is primarily used to prevent rupture of an unruptured cerebral aneurysm or to stop rebleeding after rupture, one of two main treatment approaches alongside surgical clipping, and it generally offers faster recovery while achieving comparable clinical outcomes.
Facts
FAQs
How does endovascular coiling differ from surgical clipping for a brain aneurysm?
Clipping closes the aneurysm from outside with a metal clip; coiling fills it from inside to encourage clotting.
The NHS describes surgical clipping and endovascular surgery as the two main types of surgery for a brain aneurysm that is at risk of bursting or has already burst. In surgical clipping, a small metal clip is attached to the blood vessel in the brain to stop blood flowing into the aneurysm. In endovascular surgery, which includes coiling, a coil or small piece of wire mesh is put inside the aneurysm to slow the flow of blood into it and help a blood clot to form. The NHS says a general anaesthetic is used for both, and that the surgeon discusses with the patient the procedure they feel is most suitable and its risks.
Sources
1. Endovascular coiling (Wikipedia)
Lead
It is one of two main treatments for cerebral aneurysms
History (origin-year)
The first documented technique of using metal coils to induce thrombosis was accomplished by Mullan in 1974.
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