Mayo Clinic’s Robert D. Brown Jr., M.D., M.P.H. , Giuseppe Lanzino, M.D. , and Harry Cloft, M.D., Ph.D. , discuss the collaboration of care when evaluating a patient with an aneurysm and how imaging plays a key role in finding the best path forward.
“Here at Mayo, we are so fortunate to have the entire spectrum of imaging options available at the highest possible quality,” says Robert D. Brown Jr., M.D., M.P.H.
mhm. Yeah. Every aneurysm that we see is a little bit different. There are a whole number of features that we need to consider regarding the aneurysm, regarding the patient, regarding their family history. We put all that together and we consider what's the risk of leaving this aneurysm alone versus doing something to the aneurysm, brain imaging and arterial imaging is extremely important. And here at mayo we are so fortunate to have the entire spectrum of imaging options available at the highest possible quality. We have advanced M. RI sequences and technologies. Some of these sequences have been specifically developed here over the years. In particular a certain type of contrast enhanced M. R. I. That evaluates that little aneurysm bubble to try to clarify which aneurysm is at rest. Sometimes we will see characteristics of an aneurysm that one just could not see on other imaging techniques. A major advance that has really impressed me and I think has been a big game changers, flow diversion for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms. Those are stents that we place across an aneurysm. It diverts the flow along the length of the tube in and out of the aneurysm and then the aneurysm goes away gradually over time and that has really made a lot of aneurysms that were quite difficult to treat quite easy to treat. Now there is definitely a great advantage to be in a center where there are specialists that can focus and specialize on one particular problem when one particular area, we have colleagues in interventional radiology and in neurosurgery who are very expert in the various treatment options for an aneurysm. It really is collaborative care not only here on site, but with our colleagues who have referred these patients to us for our opinion, and we're honored to have the opportunity to do so.
