Intravascular detachable balloon embolization of intracranial aneurysms. Indications and techniques.

The treatment of intracranial aneurysms from a transvascular approach, with preservation of the parent vessel is now being performed in selected cases. From a transfemoral approach, a silicone detachable balloon is flow-directed up the carotid or vertebral-basilar artery, guided directly into the aneurysm and detached. The aneurysm is thus excluded from the circulation and the parent artery is preserved. Thus far, this technique has been successful in treating aneurysms in the cavernous carotid, carotid ophthalmic, posterior communicating, distal basilar, and posterior cerebral artery distributions. The indications and techniques of detachable balloon embolization therapy are presented.