THURSDAY, Nov. 21, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- After a hit to the head or a fall, people, especially seniors, can develop a dangerous pooling of blood and fluid between the brain's surface and it's protective covering, the dura. These "subdural hematomas" typically require surgery to fix, but a new study suggests a better approach, one that makes sure repeat surgeries aren't required.
That's important, because “even after you remove the blood, it can come back and require more surgery," explained study co-lead author Dr. Jared Knopman . "This is particularly challenging for older patients, who are the most prevalent group suffering from chronic subdural hematomas,” he added.
Knopman directs cerebrovascular surgery and interventional neuroradiology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. The new technique, outlined in a study published Nov. 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine , combines standard hematoma surgery with an embolization (blocking) of the brain's middle meningeal artery.
In this procedure, a compound that essentially "glues together" and blocks this artery renders repeat surgeries unnecessary. The "liquid embolic agent" used as the glue in this embolization technique is called Onyx and is made by Medtronic, which funded the new trial. The embolization is minimally invasive: Doctors thread a small catheter containing Onyx into the middle meningeal artery via vessels in the wrist or groin.
Researchers found the combo of surgery plus embolization reduced th.
