Overview Treatments A cerebral aneurysm occurs when one of the brain’s blood vessel walls weakens and bulges. This abnormal dilation is dangerous because it can press on the surrounding nerves and brain tissue or rupture, which is life threatening. Most aneurysms do not have symptoms and are found when brain imaging has been conducted for other reasons. A large unruptured aneurysm may press on the surrounding nerves, causing numbness, weakness, or pain behind the eyes. A ruptured aneurysm causes subarachnoid hemorrhage, or bleeding into the brain.

Overview Conditions Angioplasty is a common, very successful treatment to open blocked arteries. In some cases, the physician inserts and fastens a flexible metal sheath, called a stent, in the artery to keep it open. Carotid angioplasty is a specific procedure for clearing carotid stenosis, a narrowing of the carotid artery in the neck. During angioplasty, your physician passes a catheter with an inflatable balloon at the tip into a blocked artery. The balloon inflates, compresses the blockage, and opens the narrowed section of the artery to improve blood flow.

Overview Treatments A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue. There are more than 120 types of tumor that affect the brain and the spinal cord. Tumors are usually categorized by the type of cell where they begin, or by the area in the brain or spinal cord where they occur. Brain tumors may be classified as either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous), depending on their behavior. The tumor can either originate in the brain itself (primary tumor), or come from another part of the body and travel to the brain (metastatic or secondary tumor).

Overview Treatments Carotid stenosis is narrowing and hardening of the carotid arteries in the neck, most commonly related to atherosclerosis (a build-up of plaque, which is a deposit of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium, and fibrin in the inner lining of an artery). Because the carotid arteries deliver blood to the brain, carotid artery disease can have serious implications by reducing the flow of oxygen to the brain. The brain needs a constant supply of oxygen in order to function. Even a brief interruption in blood supply can cause problems.

Overview Treatment Vascular malformations are abnormal formations of blood vessels, which can occur in the brain. They can occur in the arteries, veins, or capillaries. Types of vascular malformations include: Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) Dural arteriovenous malformation Cavernous malformation Venous malformation Under normal circumstances, the brain's arteries connect to a network of tiny capillaries that distribute blood throughout the brain's tissue and return it to the veins.

Overview Conditions Chemotherapy involves using powerful drugs to destroy tumor cells. A single drug or a combination may be used. The drugs are given by mouth or through an IV line or drip. Some medications are given through the shunt put in place to drain excess fluid from your brain. Another chemotherapy option is a wafer containing a cancer-killing drug. These chemotherapy wafers are inserted during surgery, most often to treat a brain tumor.  Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles.

Overview Conditions Embolization is used to block a blood vessel. It is commonly used to stop bleeding as well as to stop blood flow to a tumor in order to shrink it or in preparation for removal.  There are two types of embolization most frequently used in treatment of neuro conditions: Coil embolization is when the interventionist accesses the patient’s femoral artery and inserts a catheter through the blood stream to the site of the problem.

Overview Conditions Endovascular treatments are a collection of very effective, minimally invasive procedures that treat cerebrovascular conditions from within the affected blood vessel. Typically, your Inova interventionist will insert a tiny tube, called a catheter, into the patient's femoral artery in the groin and thread it up to the head, neck or spine using fluoroscopy to provide real-time imaging guidance.

Overview Conditions Gamma Knife is a type of radiation treatment known as stereotactic radiosurgery that destroys a brain or pituitary tumor without opening the skull as in traditional open surgery. A CT or MRI scan is used to pinpoint the exact location of the tumor in the brain. High-energy radiation beams are trained on the tumor from different angles. The radiation destroys the tumor. Radiosurgery is called "surgery" because it is a one-session radiation therapy treatment with similar results to an open surgical procedure.

Overview Treatments A hypervascular tumor is a tumor that has an abnormally large number of blood vessels attached to it. The increased blood vessels increase the risk of bleeding, and for this reason hypervascular tumors can often be difficult to remove. Hypervascular tumors can be effectively treated with embolization – a procedure to block blood flow to a tumor. Sometimes a tumor will begin to shrink after its blood supply has been cut off. This may make it easier for surgeons to remove the tumor.