A team of specialists from the Interventional Neuroradiology Unit of the Fundación Jiménez Díaz-Grupo Quirónsalud University Hospital has managed to successfully treat a brain aneurysm thanks to the implantation of a new embolization device through a brain catheterization. To carry out an intervention of this type, previously an exact replica of the patient's cerebral circulation had to be designed using 3D printing.
Thanks to this 3D replica, the team was able to plan exactly and meticulously the operation thanks to the fact that they knew in advance the possible technical complications that could be encountered. As a detail, before continuing to clarify that celebral aneurysms affect 8% of the population to a different extent, they are basically abnormal enlargements of the cerebral arteries that, as they grow, can press on certain nerves causing symptoms such as eye problems or numbness of the face. In the event of a rupture of this aneurysm, the consequences can be very serious for the patient, in the worst case, dying.
According to statements made by the doctor Mario Martinez-Galdamez, head of the Interventional Neuroradiology Unit of the hospital:
Thanks to this novel technique, it is possible to treat brain aneurysms with a single device and during the surgical intervention of just one hour.
As it is an interventional procedure, it only requires two to three days of admission and a short preoperative period, so the patient can return to normal life in a short period of time.
The fact of avoiding surgery, and of being a minimally invasive procedure with a level of precision unknown until now, allows us to be very optimistic with a view to generalizing this type of treatment in the future.