Endovascular Therapy

Endovascular therapy refers to the use of arterial catheters to deposit fine metallic coils within vascular abnormalities for the purpose of inducing thrombosis, or clotting off of the abnormality. This technique can be used to block the flow of blood within a cerebral aneurysm, thus avoiding craniotomy to surgically close the aneurysm. The technique can also be used in conjunction with surgery to treat complex aneurysms .

Endovascular techniques are also very useful in treating vascular malformations as a preliminary step to surgical excision, reducing the risk of hemorrhage during the surgery. Certain small vascular malformations can be treated by endovascular techniques alone without the need for surgical intervention.