Neurovascular Intervention

Using the company’s CorPath GRX robotic system—which helps control and navigate catheters, guidewires, balloons and stents for minimally invasive procedures—neuroradiologists and surgeons in Toronto performed an aneurysm coiling maneuver to help seal off a weakening blood vessel.

According to the authors, the rationale behind this investigation was driven by the previous association between GA during thrombectomy and poor neurological outcome in non-randomised studies. “Because mechanical thrombectomy has become the mainstay of therapy for patients with acute large vessel occlusion stroke, the need to clarify the optimal anaesthetic strategy is imperative,” they write.

The final results of the first thrombectomy trial in a developing country convey the “overwhelming efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy”. Given that 35% of the treatment arm achieved a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0–2 compared to 20% of controls, Raul G Nogueira (Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, USA) put forward: “We have overcome financial, logistical and political barriers [and], by doing so, we have had the opportunity to impact and influence many other countries that share our same reality.”

The single-use system (QuickClear) incorporates both an aspiration pump and catheter and can simplify the thrombectomy procedure workflow, according to a press release from the company. The sterile device can be placed on the table next to the patient, and the system turns on within seconds with maximum aspiration power. Consistent aspiration power during the procedure gives physicians more control and may lead to faster procedure times, according to the release.

Scientia Vascular, an innovator in the field of neurovascular treatment technology, recently received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for its Zoom Wire 14 guidewire line of interventional guidewires, which are used to gain access during ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and other challenging neurovascular and peripheral vascular procedures. The Zoom Wire incorporates Scientia Vascular’s proprietary microfabrication design, enabling a new level of performance for the support and delivery of devices within the brain and other parts of the body.

The market is primarily driven by the growing target population for patients, favorable medical reimbursements, expansion of healthcare infrastructure across emerging markets, and increased market demand for effective neurovascular devices.

The dome of the living aneurysm created for the experiments presented in the paper was designed to have a diameter of 3.6 mm, with the vessel leading toward it having a diameter of 2.4 mm, while the vessels leading away from the aneurysm were 1.8 mm in diameter.

The procedure involves carefully removing blood clots from deep within the brain, using a 3ft-long wire. A stent at the end of the wire envelopes the clot and pulls it out, allowing blood to flow freely to the brain. However, the treatment is only effective in a certain number of patients and with most cases needing to be seen in under 12 hours the importance of a 24/7 team on standby really shines through.

Sensome have developed a revolutionary sensing technology that combines impedance-based micro-sensors with machine learning algorithms to instantly identify biological tissues upon contact with an unequaled predictive reliability. Its first application is the Clotild® connected guidewire for the treatment of ischemic stroke. Sensome's sensor technology can be deployed in multiple other medical fields, such as interventional cardiology and oncology.

The team 3D-printed an aneurysm-shaped structure using gelatin-fibrin hydrogel, and then carefully seeded the scaffold with human brain cells called hCMECs (human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells). These cells spread out, lining the aneurysm over the next seven days, forming a living 3D-printed aneurysm.
Although fake aneurysms like this have been created before, this is the first time human cells have been used to create a living structure.

In a study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery, principal investigators Yale's Charles Matouk, MD, associate professor of neurosurgery, and Nils Petersen, MD, Ph.D. associate professor of neurology, show that a method called direct carotid puncture (DCT) offers a life-saving and surprisingly safe alternative to the standard mechanical thrombectomy for patients with difficult-to-access arteries.

Subacute in-stent thrombosis is a rare but potentially fatal condition that can occur after treatment for intracranial aneurysms or stenosis.While im…...