Intracranial Lesion Treatment

Types of intracranial lesion treatments

Intracranial lesions may be treated with medications, angioplasty or stent placement.

Angioplasty

Angioplasty is a non-surgical treatment of the neurovascular arteries. It is performed in the hospital to open blocked arteries. A thin tube known as a catheter is inserted through the groin and is threaded through a major blood vessel to the site of the blockage. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) can be performed with a balloon alone, or can involve inserting a neurovascular stent.

Neurovascular stents

Neurovascular stents are devices that can help to reduce the risk of recurrent blockage or of narrowing after an angioplasty procedure. Stents are small expandable metal tubes that are implanted in a vessel. They expand to fit the size, shape and bend of the vessel wall and prop it open to help prevent future blockages. Once it is in place, the stent will remain in your artery. Over time, the artery wall will heal around the stent as it continues to support the vessel.

The wingspan stent

The wingspan stent consists of a balloon catheter that is used to open up the artery and thread the stent through your artery to the blockage. The stent helps to keep the artery open and is a permanent implant that is placed across the blockage. It is a tiny mesh tube that is made from a metal alloy called nitinol, which is a blend of nickel and titanium metals.