St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital Physician Performs Aneurysm Procedure Using New Pipeline™ Embolization Device
St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital (SLEH) announced today that Michel Mawad, MD, recently performed three aneurysm procedures using a new technology, Pipeline Embolization Device or PED. These procedures mark the first in the Gulf Coast Region utilizing the device. The PED is a breakthrough in brain aneurysm treatment focused on primary parent vessel reconstruction. Recently approved by the FDA, the PED is especially beneficial in cases of wide-neck, large and difficult-to-treat aneurysms.
It is estimated that one in 50 Americans have a brain aneurysm, an abnormal ballooning of a portion of an artery due to a weakened blood vessel wall. Prior to using this new device, surgery or minimally-invasive endovascular coiling techniques were used in the treatment of brain aneurysms. Similar to a stent, the self-expanding, microcatheter-delivered metal PED reconstructs the entire length of the parent vessel across the aneurysm. The structure is made of cobalt chromium and platinum and the thinness of the device allows for telescoping, a technique where multiple PEDs are placed within each other with less risk of narrowing the artery. Endovascular reconstruction of the primary parent vessel with the PED is a safe, durable and durative treatment of selected wide-necked brain aneurysms.
“We're extremely pleased to offer this ground-breaking technology to treat complex aneurysms,” said Dr. Mawad. “The PED is a valuable alternative to current endovascular or surgical treatment options for these types of aneurysms and will help save many lives.”
Of the approximately six million persons with aneurysms, about 25,000 each year, experience a rupture. Of those who suffer a rupture, approximately 50 percent lead to death and only half of those who survive are able to regain normal physical function.
