CLEVELAND, Nov. 29, 1995 -- Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic have a new way to treat inoperable brain aneurysms, now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new device.

An aneurysm is a bubble-like defect in the walls of an artery, much like a bulge in a garden hose. It is estimated to affect one percent of the general population. In the brain, an aneurysm can cause severe headaches, which may progress to a stroke or even death.

"Most often, surgery is the preferred treatment," said Thomas J. Masaryk, M.D., head of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation's Department of Neuroradiology. "Sometimes there are very dangerous and life-threatening aneurysms that cannot be treated surgically. Factors such as the aneurysm's location or the age and condition of the patient could preclude surgery as an option."

A new device called the Guglielmi Detachable Coil (GDC) was approved by the FDA for use in patients this past September. The GDC relies on a small, soft platinum coil that is "slightly stiffer than a hair," said John Perl II, MD., staff, Cleveland Clinic's Section of Neuroradiology and Department of Neurosurgery. Using a catheter, doctors insert the coil in an artery in the thigh and, 'using the arteries as a highway," position it in the aneurysm, said Dr. Perl. The coil, designed to match the size of the aneurysm, is then released. A blood clot forms across the coil and the dome of the aneurysm, reinforcing it.

"This represents a major advancement in the treatment of aneurysms " said Douglas Chyatte, MD., head, Section of Cerebral Vascular Surgery at The Cleveland Clinic. The GDC coil, in some cases, is the best way to treat aneurysms." If surgery becomes necessary, it can be performed later on the newly strengthened aneurysm with a lesser risk of bleeding.

Working in conjunction with neurosurgeons, the Cleveland Clinic neuroradiologists will perform the GDC procedure at The Cleveland Clinic and Lakewood Hospital. Dr. Perl estimates that three to four patients a month will benefit from this procedure. "This procedure strengthens the options available to us for the treatment of complex cerebral aneurysms," said Michael West, M.D., neurosurgeon, Lakewood Hospital.

Celebrating 75 years of world-class care, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation continues to advance the frontiers of medicine by providing state-of-the-art care in a multispecialty academic medical center model. Since its founding in 1921, clinical and hospital care have been integrated with research and education in a private, non-profit group practice with has distinguished the Cleveland Clinic in American medicine. Today at the Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Florida, nearly 600 full-time salaried physicians represent more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties.

Lakewood Hospital is a 385-bed multispecialty acute care hospital serving Lakewood and western Cuyahoga County.

CONTACT: Holli Birrer of The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 21~444-0142, or e-mail: BirrerH@cesmtp.cof.org