Clinicians at Cooper University Health Care continue to pioneer new treatment methods, and in separate cases, recently became the first hospital in New Jersey to use two new devices to treat patients with aneurysms, announced internationally renowned neurologist and researcher Tudor G. Jovin, MD, Chief and Chairman of the Cooper Neurological Institute.
WEB® Aneurysm Embolization System
Cooper was the first hospital in New Jersey to use the WEB® Aneurysm Embolization System, a permanent self-expanding mesh ball implant for the treatment of wide-neck aneurysms located at or near branching areas of arteries in the brain.
“This is another first for Cooper and a testimony to the advanced level of care available at Cooper Neurological Institute,” said Brian T. Jankowitz, MD, a neurosurgeon at Cooper. “The WEB® System provides a valuable alternative for the treatment of certain types of aneurysms, giving us more treatment options for our patients.”
An intracranial aneurysm is a bulging, weak area in the wall of an artery that supplies blood to the brain. A weakness located at a junction between two diverging vessels is called a bifurcation aneurysm, explained Dr. Jankowitz. These types account for about 35% of all aneurysms. When placed inside the aneurysm sac, the WEB® device’s technology bridges the aneurysm neck, disrupting blood flow, and creates a scaffold for long-lasting treatment.
The WEB® Aneurysm Embolization System has been safely used in more than 6,000 cases and multiple clinical studies internationally which have demonstrated long-term positive clinical results.
Comaneci Device
In another recent case, interventional neuroradiologist, Hamza A. Shaikh, MD, Co-Director, Neurointerventional Surgery at Cooper, became the first in New Jersey to perform an endovascular embolization of a ruptured brain aneurysm using the Comaneci device, a new temporary coil embolization assist system developed by Rapid Medical. Dr. Shaikh used the device for a ruptured aneurysm to prevent repeated rupture.
Rapid Medical received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for the Comaneci device in May 2019. The new device is an alternative treatment to a balloon or stent, combining elements of both. The surgeon inserts the device into an artery via micro catheter and fills the aneurysm with tiny metal threads called coils, blocking it from the artery to prevent another rupture.
Unlike the common balloon technique, the remotely adjustable device allows for constant normal blood flow through the artery, reducing the risk of ischemic (or blood-flow) injury. Whereas a stent is left behind in the patient’s artery, the Comaneci device is removed after the coiling.
“Because of our experience and expertise, we are able to offer the most advanced treatment options to our patients,” said Dr. Shaikh. “More options mean better outcomes for our patients.”