United Press International reported that researchers at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor say that a Wingspan Intracranial stent (Boston Scientific Co.) reduces the risk of a stroke for those unable to withstand a brain operation. Doctors at U of M Health System have also noticed that the Wingspan intracranial stent is one of the newest options to help doctors open up clogged brain blood vessels.
Through an incision in the leg a thin wire mesh tube is fed into the body through the blood vessels in the chest, then neck and into the brain.
This device can be used for people of had a stroke or a mini-stroke (TIA), say U of M research team.
“It’s designed for patients with a condition called intracranial stenosis, or cerebral atherosclerosis: a narrowing or hardening of the arteries in the brain.
“This offers us the first option designed specifically to treat this condition,” says Dr. Joseph Gemmete, director of interventional neuroradiology at the University of Michigan. “This is a very high-risk condition, with patients facing as much as a one-in-three chance of suffering a stroke in the next year. We had been using stents designed for arteries in the body, but this is specifically for the brain.”
Link…
For more on the Wingspan™ stent, please visit Boston Scientific…
University of Michigan press release…