Abstract:

Cerebrovascular diseases, including ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, affect more than 6 million US adultsannually. Strokes cause high rates of morbidity and mortality due to the central nervous system’s sensitivity to disruptions in blood flow, and are refractory to traditional surgical interventions. A variety of minimally invasive surgical and endovascular approaches have recently been developed to improve outcomes patient outcomes following stroke. As research in other surgical fields has demonstrated multiple advantages of minimally invasive techniques, including avoidance of large incisions requiring less sedation, less trauma to the patient, and potentially lower treatment costs resulting from shorter hospital courses and a reduced need for post-operative intensive medical care, it is no surprise that minimally invasive surgical approaches to stroke have recently gained traction. As highlighted herein, the successful development and integration of such technology requires a strong pre-clinical foundation and well designed clinical trials. The promising results in the aforementioned and ongoing clinical trials suggest the future utilization of minimally invasive techniques for the treatment of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke will continue to increase.