Damaged, injured or malformed blood vessels can cause bleeding or circulation problems that can result in strokes, headaches and other symptoms. Neurovascular surgery uses open or minimally invasive surgical techniques to treat problems with the blood vessels of the brain or spine and spinal cord.
Dual-Trained Neurovascular Surgeons
Our neurovascular surgeons are dual-trained, or hybrid neurosurgeons. This means that they perform both endovascular (minimally invasive) and open neurosurgical procedures.
Neurovascular surgeons work with expert teams in:
Conditions & Treatments
- Angioplasty
- Arteriovenous malformations
- Atherosclerotic disease of the blood vessels
- Brain aneurysms
- Brain hemorrhage
- Carotid and cerebral stents
- Carotid dissection
- Carotid stenosis
- Cavernomas (cerebral cavernous malformations)
- Chiari malformation
- Clipping
- Coiling
- Dural arteriovenous fistulae
- Embolectomy
- Extracranial/intracranial bypass
- Flow diversion
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension
- Intracerebral hemorrhage
- Intra-arterial thrombolysis
- Intrasaccular aneurysm occlusion device
- Pseudotumor cerebri
- Spinal aneurysm
- Stroke
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Vasospasm
- Vertebral compression fracture
Types of Neurovascular Surgery
Our neurovascular surgeons are dual-trained, or hybrid neurosurgeons. This means that they perform both endovascular (minimally invasive) and open neurosurgical procedures.
Endovascular Neurosurgery
Sometimes called neurointerventional neurosurgery or interventional neuroradiology, endovascular neurosurgery is a subset of neurovascular surgery that relies on minimally invasive procedures coupled with advanced imaging techniques to deliver care to the nervous system. Typically catheter-based, these procedures treat aneurysms, stroke and other blood vessel conditions in the head, neck and spine.
This minimally invasive approach often offers faster recovery times and less stress for your body when compared to open surgery, but it is only appropriate for some conditions.
Open Neurovascular Surgery
Some diseases, including some aneurysms or vascular malformations, require an open surgical approach that allows the surgeon to directly repair the problem. In these cases, open surgery is a safer and more effective method compared to the minimally invasive alternative.
Hybrid Surgery & Advanced Technology
Some complex lesions require advanced technologies, such as hybrid surgery. In these cases, our dual-trained neurovascular surgeons can use a combination of surgery and endovascular techniques to treat your disease. Our dual-trained surgeons are able to perform microsurgery (including bypass surgery) and intervention, and can combine these techniques to address challenging diseases.
At UVA, we have a hybrid neurovascular operating room where we can perform both endovascular and open surgical procedures. This room features an intraoperative MRI that allows for real-time MR imaging during surgery, as well as an angiography suite where the surgeon can visualize blood vessels while performing microsurgery.