Coiling - Treating Hemorrhagic Stroke: Stroke
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Coiling
If a cerebral aneurysm caused a first hemorrhage, a second one may be prevented with an inter-arterial procedure known as coiling. The surgeon inserts a catheter through the arm or groin into a large artery and works it through the aorta up to the site of the aneurysm in the brain. Then the doctor releases a tiny coiled ball inside the aneurysm (see Figure 15). The coil makes the blood in the aneurysm clot. Once this happens, the aneurysm is no longer dangerous.
Figure 15: A coiling procedure
 In a coiling procedure, the doctor threads a catheter through an artery in the body and then snakes it up through blood vessels in the brain until it reaches the aneurysm. The doctor then threads a series of coils through the catheter and inserts them into the aneurysm, filling it and causing blood clots to form inside the aneurysm. This stabilizes the aneurysm and prevents any more blood from entering. |
| Last updated: | September 05, 2008 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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