Guglielmi detachable coil

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File:Aneurysma Coil.jpg
Resected cerebral aneurysm filled with multiple coils.

A Guglielmi detachable coil, or GDC, is a platinum coil commonly used in intracranial minimally-invasive interventions for the occlusion of brain aneurysms, it is a specific variant of endovascular coiling therapy. It was invented by Italian neurosurgeon Dr. Guido Guglielmi in 1990, and was gradually introduced in the later 1990s as an alternative to surgical clipping, which requires invasive surgery. September 1995, the Guglielmi Detachable Coil (GDC) system received formal approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of surgically high-risk intracranial aneurysms.

The peculiarities of this coil lie in its physical as well as its electrolytical properties: the material is a high Shape-memory alloy, allowing it to easily bend and regain its original coil shape. It is also highly sensitive to low currents, which allows the GDC to detach from the catheter that carries it, thus receiving the name "detachable coil".

The long-term efficacy of GDC coils and similar coils in the treatment of cerebral aneurysms is still being studied.

Procedure

A microcatheter is inserted into an artery in the patients groin and is slid up into the bleeding cerebral blood vessel. Once the catheter reaches the aneurysm, the GDC microcoils are released from the main blood vessel into the lumen of the aneurysm. This release is triggered by a small electric current. Coils are released into the aneurysm until it is full and will not accept any more coils. These platinum coils are fairly soft and adapt to the shape of othe aneurism.[1]

See also

References

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External links