Neurointerventional Radiology Procedures
- Neurointerventional Radiology Procedures - Home
- Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)
- Treatment of Brain Aneurysms
- Carotid Stenting - Extracranial (Brachiocephalic) Angioplasty
- Intracranial Angioplasty
- Cerebral Angiogram
Treatment of Vasospasm after Aneurysm Bleeding
Vasospasm (narrowing) of the vessels that supply the brain can occur after a bleed from an aneurysm in the head (subarachnoid hemorrhage). The spasm can be severe enough to prevent enough blood from reaching the brain, causing a stroke. This is usually initially treated by medical therapy, including giving medication to increase the blood pressure and giving intravenous fluids. If this does not work, then other treatments can be used. A catheter is placed into an artery (usually in the leg, similar to an angiogram of the heart) and threaded up the artery or arteries that are affected. Medication can be injected through the catheter to dilate the arteries. A tiny catheter with a soft balloon on the tip can be threaded through the catheter and gently inflated to stretch the narrow spots in the arteries (angioplasty). More than one artery may need to be treated and, in severe cases, the procedure may need to be repeated.