Loyola Report Details “Explosive Evolution” of Techniques to Restore Blood Flow to the Brain

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Recent decades have seen an “explosive evolution” of techniques to restore blood flow to areas of the brain endangered by stroke or clogged arteries, according to a report by Loyola Medicine neurologists and neurosurgeons.

Historically, the introduction of operating microscopes enabled surgeons to perform delicate microsurgeries to clear clogged arteries and remove blood clots that cause strokes. More recently, physicians have begun using minimally invasive endovascular techniques.

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“The last 50 to 60 years have witnessed an explosive evolution of techniques geared at restoring blood flow to compromised regions of the brain, senior author Camilo R. Gomez, MD, and colleagues wrote.

Endovascular techniques do not require invasive open surgery. The physician employs catheters (thin tubes) that are guided through blood vessels to the brain. From the tip of the catheter, the physician deploys stents or other devices to restore blood blow. (Endovascular means inside blood vessels.)These endovascular techniques have “amplified the dimensions of care for many patients whose therapeutic options were previously limited,” the Loyola authors wrote.

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