Monday, August 20, 2012

Monday, August 20, 2012

I am admitted to the hospital tomorrow  for a Cerebral Angiogram.  I will stay in the ICU over night at Johnston Willis Hospital.

  

Cerebral Angiogram

Introduction:

Cerebral angiograms provide a roadmap of the blood vessels of the brain.  Physicians use this blood vessel roadmap to determine how a particular patient’s brain is supplied with blood and how to best proceed with the course of treatment.

Procedure:

Cerebral Angiogram– The procedure for a cerebral   angiogram requires that a small tubed catheter, similar to a long piece of spaghetti, be placed in an artery in the groin area. Prior to catheter placement, patients can be given local anesthesia with sedation medication to keep them comfortable. After anesthesia has been taken care of and the catheter is inside the artery; the catheter is navigated under image guidance up to the vessels of the head and neck. Once the catheter has been stabilized then contrast dye is allowed to flow through the catheter for a short period. While the dye is moving through the blood vessels a special x-ray camera or   fluoroscope takes pictures of the blood vessels.

What is Embolization?

Tumor embolization is a procedure that can be performed prior to a planned   surgical resection. Embolization shuts down the blood supply to a tumor reducing   blood loss during surgical resection. A secondary benefit from embolization can be that tumor margins are more easily identified and a tumor can be removed more completely and with less effort.  Meningioma Tumors (what I have) are   embolized and have relatively large blood vessels supplying the tumor.

Procedures frequently take 2 to 3 hours and the time necessary is often not predictable before the procedure begins.

After the procedure, I will need to remain still and avoid bending the hip where the puncture occurred for at least 6-8 hours. This means lying flat and is often the portion of the entire experience that is most uncomfortable. This period of rest is very important because it allows the small puncture hole in the artery to heal.

I will remain in the hospital overnight following the     embolization procedure, until the tumor is surgically removed tomorrow.

I will spend the night in the neurological intensive care unit for close monitoring.