"All the skills that I slowly and painfully acquired to become an aneurysm surgeon have been rendered obsolete by technological change. Instead of open surgery, a catheter and wire is passed through a needle in the patient’s groin into the femoral artery and fed upwards into the aneurysm by a radiology doctor–not a neurosurgeon–and the aneurysm is blocked off from the inside rather than clipped off from the outside."
Wow. That's a most un-expected way of fixing things in the brain!
This subject never ceases to interest me because both my parents have had aneurysms, my dad died of them (he had three over the course of several years), my mom recovered (she had one which got clipped exactly as described in the article), both had paralysis effects, and both were heavy smokers.
Incredible how reading that story affected me, worse than any movie I've ever watched.
If you're interested reading more personal encounters like this, I highly recommend "When the Air Hits Your Brain". It follows the author's journey from resident to experienced neursurgeon with a wisecrack sense of humor and greusome detail.
I finished it in premed days when I was looking for an candid story of becoming a neurosurgen. Definitely kept me fascinated.
Wow. That's a most un-expected way of fixing things in the brain!
This subject never ceases to interest me because both my parents have had aneurysms, my dad died of them (he had three over the course of several years), my mom recovered (she had one which got clipped exactly as described in the article), both had paralysis effects, and both were heavy smokers.
Incredible how reading that story affected me, worse than any movie I've ever watched.