News

Centennial Hills Hospital now performs minimally invasive procedures to treat stroke and other neurological diseases by utilizing neurointerventional radiology procedures in its new biplane lab.

Neurointerventional radiology involves gently threading a catheter the width of a spaghetti strand from the femoral artery to the brain to perform specialized procedures. Benefits of these procedures to patients can include shorter hospital stays, reduced recovery times and less visible surgical scarring.

Some of the key neurological procedures available include:

• Thrombolytic therapy — using the catheter to dissolve a clot in the brain that is blocking blood flow.
• Endovascular coil treatment — using coils at the site of a brain aneurysm to induce clotting; this reduces the ability of the aneurysm to burst and cause a stroke.
• Endovascular therapy for large vessel occlusions (LVOs) — LVOs are a type of stroke resulting from the blockage of a major brain artery, decreasing blood flow to key areas of the brain.
• Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) — AVM is an unusual jumble of blood vessels connecting arteries and veins. In turn, this disrupts the normal flow of blood from the heart to the tissues via arteries, while veins return the blood from the tissues to the heart. Left untreated, the AVM could rupture, causing further medical complications of a stroke and hemorrhage in the brain, or brain damage.

“The addition of neurointerventional radiology equipment and a specially trained team enhances our neurology services, which include our Advanced Primary Stroke Center and our neurosurgery program,” said Sajit Pullarkat, CEO/Managing Director of Centennial Hills Hospital. “Advanced neurological services allow our community to receive the care they need, close to home.”

Blood Clots

According to the American Heart Association, both genetic and lifestyle risk factors can lead to blood clots, which can cause heart attacks, strokes and other organ damage. Genetic factors include a personal history of clots before age 40 or unexplained miscarriages, or a family history. Related medical conditions include diabetes, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, atherosclerosis (plaque buildup), or blood vessel inflammation. Lifestyle risk factors include smoking, obesity, pregnancy, long periods of sitting, lengthy bed rest, cancer, and using hormone replacement therapy or birth control bills.