Vascular Neurosurgery

Patient Stories: Aneurysm | Deep Brain Stimulation | Pediatric Neurosurgery | Spine Surgery

MercyOne is equipped withcentral Iowa's only fellowship-trained vascular neurosurgeon, Einar Bogason, M.D., cerebrovascular and endovascular medical director of the MercyOne Stroke Program. Dr. Bogason is one of the few surgeons in the state trained in 'clipping' or 'coiling' an aneurysm.

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What is 'coiling'?

‘Coiling’ is a procedure used to stop an aneurysm from rupturing or bleeding more, which often prevents irreparable damage to the brain. This procedure is a minimally-invasive technique, requiring only a small incision in the groin and a catheter to complete the 'coiling'.

Here’s how the surgical procedure works:

A catheter is threaded into an artery in the groin and up through the neck, until it reaches the aneurysm.
Using fluoroscopy, a microcatheter is inserted through the initial catheter, with the coil is attached to the microcatheter.
When the microcatheter reaches the aneurysm, an electrical current is used to separate the coil from the catheter. The coil seals off the opening of the aneurysm and is left in place permanently in the aneurysm.

The coils used in this procedure are made of soft platinum metal and are shaped like a small, thin spring. Depending on the size of the aneurysm, more than one coil may be needed to completely seal off the aneurysm. After the procedure, patients wake up with little to no discomfort and are often discharged home the next day.

In addition to aneurysms, our vascular neurosurgery program also treats –