Pipeline Embolization Device
Emory neuroradiologists now have a device to treat patients with aneurysms that were once deemed untreatable. A Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) allows Emory nueroradiologists to treat patients with wide neck or giant aneurysms. Until now, aneurysms have been primarily treated by 2 methods: an open surgical procedure or by ‘coiling’. But only 15-20% of aneurysms were amenable to these treatments.
A cerebral aneurysm is a weak spot in the wall of a blood vessel within the brain, characterized by an abnormal ballooning or widening of the vessel. In the United States, a brain aneurysm ruptures every 18 minutes, and nearly half of these cases are fatal. Of the patients who survive, approximately half will never regain full physical function.
The Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) offers patients with wide neck or giant aneurysms a chance to have their aneurysm treated with a minimally invasive, endoscopic procedure. The PED is a metal device, ranging in size from just 10 to 35 mm. Using an endovascular approach, the PED is placed across the “neck” -- or opening -- the aneurysm with the help of a catheter placed inside the blood vessel. This procedure disrupts blood flow to the aneurysm, causing the blood to clot and, over a period of months, the aneurysm to be reabsorbed by the body.
The Emory University Hospital is one of the ten centers where this device has been released and it was the first center in the Southeast to treat a patient under the FDA approval of the PED.
Patient Advantages:
- Patients with previously untreatable aneurysms now have a reliable treatment option.
- Utilizing a minimally invasive approach means patients heal more quickly and go home a day or two after the procedure.
- Our center treats the largest volume of patients in the southeast and this experience directly translates into safer procedures and better outcomes.
