|
|
|
|
Mercy Hospital is proud to have pioneered a new non-surgical procedure for treating strokes – revolutionizing the treatment of blocked carotid (neck) arteries, which is the condition that causes approximately one-third of all strokes. Approximately 85 percent of all strokes occur because not enough blood reaches the brain. A blocked neck artery, also called the carotid artery is one of the major arteries, that, if it becomes blocked, can cause blood flow to the brain to stop, thereby triggering a stroke. This blockage can be treated by a stenting procedure, which uses small, steel-mesh tubes to open the arteries and reduce a patient’s risk of stroke. Unlike the traditional surgery for this condition, stenting requires no neck incisions or general anesthesia, and this reduces the risk of complications and shortens patient recovery time.
Mercy’s Chief of Cardiovascular Services, Dr. Paul A. Jones has performed more carotid stenting procedures than anyone in Illinois, with excellent outcomes. In September 2004, Dr. Jones per-formed the first carotid stenting procedure in Illinois using stents approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Because stenting is more suitable for patients at high risk for complications from more invasive surgery, Dr. Jones says, he believes its growing popularity will lead to more patients being treated before a stroke or other serious problems occur. Both Drs. Kramer, Mercy’s chief of Neurology and medical director of Mercy’s Stroke Care Unit, and Jones predict that stenting will become the gold standard of treatment for patients with carotid artery blockage, replacing traditional surgery.
Dr. Jones is currently preparing to publish several papers about his team’s comprehensive disease-centered approaches to cardiovascular treatment. At Mercy, experts develop and apply minimally invasive techniques to treat coronary artery disease, carotid artery blockage and aneurysm and other disorders, often before life-threatening symptoms occur. It is Mercy’s goal to see patients have less to worry about, with less risk of complications and a shorter recovery time
The illustration describes the carotid stenting procedure. In illustration A, a compressed steel mesh tube is inserted into the patient's blocked artery. In illustration B, a balloon-like mechanism is inflated to expand the steel mesh tube, thereby re-opening the blocked artery. Illustration C depicts how the repaired artery with stenting would appear following a successful procedure. |
