Ten Years of Advances in Neuroendovascular Procedures

Address for correspondence and reprints: Adnan I. Qureshi, MD, Department of Neurology and Neurosciences, Doctors Office Center, 90 Bergen Street, Suite 8100, PO Box 1709, Newark, NJ 07101-1709 USA. Fax: 1-973-972-9960; E-mail: aiqureshi@hotmail.com Cerebrovascular diseases are the third leading cause of mortality in the United States (US), accounting for 163,538 deaths in 2001.1 Each year, about 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke. Developments in endovascular therapies over the last 10 years have expanded the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases using minimally invasive techniques. Procedures that have been introduced and improved upon over the last decade include carotid, vertebral, and intracranial angioplasty and stent placement; intra-arterial thrombolysis; endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms using detachable coils and liquid embolic agents; embolization for arteriovenous malformation (AVM) and neoplasms; endovascular treatment of vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage; and intra-arterial chemotherapy for neoplasms.2