A New York surgeon-scientist and his team hase demonstrated through a proof-of-concept study that a minimally invasive procedure can effectively treat chronic subdural hematoma, one of the most common conditions requiring neurosurgical intervention. Chronic subdural hematoma involves the accumulation of blood and its breakdown products on the brain's surface beneath the dura, the brain's protective covering. This mass results from damaged vessels that continuously leak blood between the brain and the dura.
This new method, known as middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE), potentially replaces traditional invasive surgeries, such as drilling burr holes into the skull or performing craniotomies. The traditional standard of care involves surgeries that can drain the accumulated blood but have a high recurrence rate of up to 20%. The MMAE procedure involves injecting a specialized fluid…
