The Methodist Hospital System. Leading Medicine
The Methodist Hospital System. Leading Medicine

Eddy Scurlock Stroke Center

Surgical Services

While surgery has been used for some time to treat victims of stroke, new techniques to treat aneurysms and blood vessel abnormality are being pioneered at the center.

  • Carotid Endarterectomy
    This procedure removes plaque from the blocked carotid artery.
  • Stereotactic Microsurgery or Radiosurgery
    To treat arteriovenous malformation or AVM (blood vessel abnormality), sophisticated computer technology allows the physician to pinpoint the location and microsurgically correct the vessel without affecting brain tissue.

Interventional Neuroradiology

The center is at the forefront in the area of endovascular (inside the blood vessel) procedures, which include:

  • Endovascular Treatment of Aneurysms
    (For stroke patients unable to withstand the stress of surgery.) Platinum coils are guided into the aneurysm – a weakened or ballooned vessel – by a catheter, creating a clot that closes the aneurysm off from the surrounding circulation.
  • Endovascular Treatment of AVMs
    Similar to the treatment of aneurysms, this procedure uses a "super glue" substance that reduces the size of the AVM and allows for further treatment.
  • Angioplasty and Stenting of Vessels in the Neck and Brain
    This procedure opens partially blocked arteries in the neck and blood vessels in the brain. A fine, tubular wire mesh holds the vessel open.