For the first time, a neurologist at the Ottawa hospital was able to visualize, using a camera, the inside of the blood vessels in the brain of a person who had suffered several strokes.
- On November 14, 2023, Robert Fahed, neuroradiologist and neurologist at Ottawa Hospital (Canada) filmed the inside of the blood vessels in the brain of a man suffering from repeated strokes.
- A strong, flexible camera, designed specifically for cerebral arteries, was introduced into the patient’s bloodstream, who required a stent.
- Now, the doctor plans to use this camera and fiber optic technology to facilitate diagnostics and remove clots blocking the arteries of stroke patients.
“No one had ever seen the inside of the arteries of the brain.” This was stated by Robert Fahed, neuroradiologist and neurologist at the Ottawa Hospital (Canada) in FranceInfo. On November 14, 2023, he achieved a feat by taking video of the blood vessels in the brain of a man, aged around fifty, who had suffered repeated strokes. In detail, the patient was affected by a rare malformation of the carotid artery, namely one of the arteries which brings blood to the brain. This anomaly caused the formation of small clots, which caused strokes.
Stroke: a camera designed specifically for cerebral arteries
In order to film the blood vessels of the fifty-year-old’s brain, the doctor introduced a camera into his blood network. For this medical procedure, which was carried out after the agreement of Canadian health authorities, a camera was designed specifically for the cerebral arteries. “It is extremely strong, and so flexible that when it hits an artery, it twists. It does not damage it,” explained Robert Fahed to the French media. This intervention allowed him “to understand that the man needed a stent. We were able to put it in and the patient was discharged the same day. He is doing very well.” As a reminder, a stent is a metal device that is placed inside the arteries if a localized narrowing is preventing blood from passing through.
A diagnostic tool and visual guide during surgical procedures
The fiber optic technology, which is used, helps in “see the interior of the vessels live, either to observe what is happening there, or to observe the interactions with the tools we use, such as the use of a net to catch the clot”.
Now, the neurologist plans to use this camera and technology to aid diagnoses and remove clots blocking the arteries of stroke patients. “We will be able to observe aneurysms, hemorrhages, infections, malformations, autoimmune and auto-inflammatory diseases of the vessels.”
Since this medical device seems promising, the Adolphe de Rothschild Foundation Hospital in Paris plans to test it during this year 2024.
