Neurovascular Disease
Chirag Gandhi, MD, Chief of Service
The Center for Neurovascular Disease, working in close collaboration with the disciplines of neuroradiology, interventional neuroradiology, vascular neurology, and vascular surgery, provides evaluation and treatment for patients with diseases of the vessels supplying the brain and spinal cord, and their support structures.
The Center’s areas of expertise include the evaluation and management of ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations of the brain and spinal cord, and hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes. Both intracranial and extracranial revascularization procedures are performed. Minimally invasive evaluations by advanced imaging techniques are routinely employed, including 3-D CT evaluations of the vascular system and Xenon-based quantitative cerebral blood flow evaluations. Functional MRI and neuropsychological evaluations to assess the risks of interventions are available, as well as the standard CT and MRI evaluations. Image-guided surgery can also help to minimize the risks associated with open surgical interventions in selected cases.
Interventional neuroradiologic procedures are performed in a state-of-the-art biplane angiography suite by a fellowship-trained interventional neuroradiologist. They include balloon angioplasty and stenting of occlusive cerebrovascular diseases, and glueing, ballooning, and coiling of arteriovenous malformations, fistulas, and aneurysms. They may be performed as the sole treatment or as adjunctive treatments in a larger plan. Stereotactic radiosurgery for selected vascular lesions is also available. All major vascular interventions are evaluated cooperatively to arrive at the safest, most efficient treatment plan for each individual patient.
The Center is supported by the state’s only dedicated neurosurgical intensive care unit, whose staff is particularly proficient in the management of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage.
