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Physicians at Harper University Hospital are training other doctors nationwide in a new, minimally invasive treatment to prevent stroke in patients with carotid artery disease.
The new procedure - carotid artery stenting with embolic protection system - promises to give new hope to high-risk patients who might not be candidates for traditional surgery.
Harper University Hospital is home to one of only 20 centers in the United States authorized to train physicians in the new technique and the physicians at the hospital are the only doctors in Michigan qualified to train other doctors in this new procedure.
Approximately 25 percent of strokes are caused by carotid artery disease from atherosclerosis, which is characterized by the build-up of plaque on the inside of the carotid arteries. The carotid arteries - located in the neck - carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the brain. A stroke can occur if the artery becomes blocked, if a piece of plaque breaks off, or if a clot forms in the carotid artery and blocks blood flow to the brain.
The key to the new procedure is a tiny blood filter (embolic protection system) that collects plaque that might dislodge from the artery wall and cause a stroke.
"The traditional surgical procedure to restore blood flow in the carotid arteries requires an incision in the patient's neck to remove plaque and debris from inside the blood vessel wall," said Theodore Schreiber, M.D., Vice President of Cardiovascular Development and Division Chief of Clinical Cardiology, Detroit Medical Center. "But carotid artery stenting is minimally invasive with no incisions in the patient's neck."
The new procedure is safer for high-risk patients than the traditional surgery. In time, minimally invasive procedures like this may prevent up to half the strokes that occur today.
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