Neurointerventional Surgery

The balloon occlusion test is a way to see whether one artery can be temporarily or permanently blocked without significantly affecting the level of blood in your brain. This procedure is usually done if there is a problem (for example, aneurysm or tumor) with one of the four main arteries. 

Our team performs cerebral and spinal angiograms as needed for diagnostic purposes, pre-surgical planning, and post-surgical follow-up. After injecting contrast dye into the blood vessels, our surgeons use our state-of-the-art biplane angiography system to capture detailed 3D pictures of your arteries and veins. Diagnostic angiograms are usually performed under light sedation on an outpatient basis.

Some patients may require additional imaging techniques such as an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging or a CT (computerized tomography or CAT scan) to confirm their diagnosis.

Inferior petrosal sinus sampling is a diagnostic test used to aid in the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome and to help determine whether the source of cortisol secretion is from a pituitary tumor or another cause. It can also identify the side of the pituitary gland that is most likely to be causing the Cushing's syndrome.

A lumbar puncture, or spinal tap, can help diagnose serious infections, such as meningitis; other disorders of the central nervous system, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome and multiple sclerosis; cancers of the brain or spinal cord; bleeding around the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage).

Transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) is a non-invasive, painless ultrasound method used to examine the blood circulation within the brain. Your doctor may have recommended that you have this test to determine the amount of blood flow to certain areas of your brain.

The Wada test is an important part of the pre-surgical evaluation in patients being considered for epilepsy surgery. The main purposes of the Wada test are to determine which side of the brain controls language function and how important each side of the brain is in regard to memory function. The results of the test help the epilepsy team determine a surgical approach that minimizes the chances that language or memory will be affected by the surgery.

A minimally invasive procedure used to destroy abnormal tissue typically found in benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous) tumors. These procedures may require only limited anesthesia and can be a viable option for many individuals who are not candidates for surgery. Many of these techniques are performed in an outpatient setting with patients usually going home the same day.

An image-guided, non-surgical procedure that is used to restore blood flow to arteries or veins that have become blocked. This procedure uses a balloon-tipped catheter to expand the blocked artery, and optionally placing a tiny mesh tube, called a stent, to hold the artery open.

A minimally invasive, image-guided therapy used to treat brain aneurysms. During this procedure, our interventionalists thread a thin catheter through the blood vessels to the point of the aneurysm to place soft metal coils. Once the coils are in place, blood clots around them, blocking off the neck of the aneurysm and restoring normal blood flow.

A minimally invasive treatment used to stop the blood supply to a tumor, stop reoccurring nosebleeds, or reduce blood loss during surgical resection.

A minimally invasive procedure in which our interventionalists use x-ray guidance and a small catheter to remove a blood clot from an artery. This procedure is most commonly used to treat strokes.

Uses image-guidance and focused radiation to treat brain and spinal tumors, aneurysms and blood vessel abnormalities, including arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). While called surgery, radiosurgery does not involve any incisions.