Memorial Neuroscience Institute Performs Live-Streamed Brain Aneurysm Procedure
Institute Among First Sites to be Selected by the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology for Global Virtual Training Program
Nearly 1,800 miles separated Brijesh Mehta, MD, and Josser Delgado, MD, during a recent procedure to treat a complex brain aneurysm, but that didn’t mean the renowned physicians weren’t collaborating in real time.
November 13, 2023
Dr. Mehta, a vascular and interventional neurologist and medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke and Neurointerventional Surgery programs at the Memorial Neuroscience Institute, performed the first live-streamed endovascular neurosurgery to fully secure a complex brain aneurysm using the novel Microvention Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device. Dr. Delgado, a neurointerventional radiologist at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, logged on through the Proximie virtual operating room to provide technical guidance.
“Memorial’s Neuroscience Institute is one of the first pilot sites selected by the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN) for a global tele-observership program using virtual proctoring software such as Proximie,” said Dr. Mehta. “It’s an innovative technology that has the potential to train physicians around the world, especially in developing countries, on the latest stroke treatments and neurointerventional techniques.”
Drs. Mehta and Delgado utilized a minimally-invasive, endovascular treatment on Stephane Desjardins to treat the brain aneurysm, one that had a high probability of being fatal if it had ruptured and bled in the brain. The catheter-based image navigation procedure enabled the placement of the WEB device to secure the aneurysm. The procedure was a success due to the real-time virtual proctoring made possible with the Proximie system.
Approximately 30,000 people in the United States suffer a brain aneurysm rupture each year, according to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.
“I had worsening headaches, was dizzy, nauseous, and had no energy,” said Desjardins, whose aneurysm was discovered during a CT scan when he presented to the Memorial Regional Hospital emergency room. “Dr. Mehta got me in right away and I haven’t had any issues since the procedure.”
The 53-year-old Desjardins was discharged from the hospital a day after the cutting-edge surgery without any neurological impairments and returned to a meaningful quality of life with his family.
It’s an innovative technology that has the potential to train physicians around the world, especially in developing countries, on the latest stroke treatments and neurointerventional techniques.