Newswise — (PHILADELPHIA) Until recently people with so-called “wide-mouthed” brain aneurysms like Belinda Cook didn’t have a lot of options.
Last year, however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Pipeline Embolization Device, providing endovascular neurosurgeons with a new tool to employ against these difficult to treat aneurysms.
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience reports largest case series of patients treated for brain aneurysms with the Pipeline Embolization Device at the International Stroke Conference.
Since the Pipeline stent was approved, the vascular neurosurgeons at Jefferson have been among the most active using and studying the efficacy of the device. Unlike other stents with wide openings, the Pipleline device diverts blood flow from the bulge in the blood vessels, providing a new endovascular tool for these difficult to treat aneurysms.
“The pipeline device is a very good option to treat very large aneurysms,” said Robert H. Rosenwasser, MD, chair of neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, who are dedicated exclusively to fixing this type of problem.
Jefferson’s experience with the device – neurosurgeons here were the first in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware treat patients with Pipeline – and the large number of patients with brain aneurysms treated makes the Hospital an ideal setting for post-market examination of Pipeline.
In the abstract presented at the stroke conference in New Orleans the Jefferson neurosurgeons concluded: “Treatment of simple or complex intracranial aneurysms with [Pipeline stents] alone or in conjunction with coil embolization is technically feasible with low chance of intraoperative complications.”
And while ongoing analysis of “perioperative adverse events” is needed to optimize patient selection, the ongoing experience at Jefferson shows the device is a viable treatment option for a group of patients – about 10 percent of the 30,000 brain aneurysms cases in the U.S. each year – that are otherwise difficult to treat with existing endovascular techniques.
"I'm excited because we're able to help people we couldn't help before,” said Jefferson neurosurgeon Pascal Jabbour, MD, and co-author of the study. Dr. Jabbour serves as a proctor for the Pipeline devise, training other surgeons across the nation in its use.Jefferson’s renowned team of vascular neurosurgeons are among the busiest in the nation, performing both open and endovascular procedures.
Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals (TJUH) are dedicated to excellence in patient care, patient safety and the quality of the healthcare experience. Consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the nation's top hospitals, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, established in 1825, has over 900 licensed acute care beds with major programs in a wide range of clinical specialties. TJUH is one of the few hospitals in the U.S. that is both a Level 1 Trauma Center and a federally-designated regional spinal cord injury center. TJUH patient care facilities include Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience, the region’s only dedicated hospital for neuroscience, Methodist Hospital in South Philadelphia, and additional patient care facilities throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. TJUH partners with its education affiliate, Thomas Jefferson University.
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