Cleveland Endovascular Institute - Advanced Technology

Thanks to an explosion of technology that includes increasingly sophisticated miniaturized electronics and innovative energy sources, the Cleveland Endovascular Institute is able to combine many forms of breakthrough techniques that allow less-invasive treatment of vascular conditions.

The new therapeutic and diagnostic capabilities brought about by the rapid pace of technological change are being used to provide safer, more efficient and cost-effective care with better patient outcomes.

Among the innovative techniques in use at the Institute are:

When intervention is appropriate, the Institute offers innovative, catheter-based techniques for percutaneous revascularization. These non-surgical interventions using micro-puncture tools for quicker access to restore blood flow to occluded vessels offer many advantages over traditional surgery. Among the many benefits of catheter-based interventions are a shorter hospital stay and reduced costs. The patient recovers without pain from an incision, and without a scar.

When lysis of a clot is appropriate, in either acute or chronic situations, the Institute may use thrombolytic agents or a mechanical device known as the "Clot Buster." The Clot Buster is a catheter-like instrument that uses hydraulic vortices to dissolve indwelling clots and suction them into a cannister. Clot-dissolving medications such as Urokinase are delivered directly to the site through microcatheters to disintegrate the clot as well as any additional debris.

Angiogram of excellent result post stent placement. Stents -- tiny metal scaffold-like tubes that are implanted in the revascularized blood vessel -- improve the success rate of revascularization procedures and reduce the chance of restenosis. Clinical trials have shown that the use of stents reduces the risk of restenosis by as much as 40 percent. The Cleveland Endovascular Institute is utilizing stents in innovative ways to repair renal and mesenteric artery disease, venous disease and peripheral artery stenosis.

A new form of ultrasound, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), images atherosclerosis in its earliest stages and exposes plaque that even angiography sometimes does not reveal. IVUS reveals the precise location, shape and composition of a lesion within an artery or vein. This in turn allows for far more precise treatment planning than was possible previously. IVUS is also used in the Institute's operating room to determine the final result of surgery, rather than merely examining a distal pulse or checking a single plane arteriogram.

The Cleveland Endovascular Institute uses a state-of-the art color-duplex ultrasound system capable of superficial imaging for vein mapping as well as intraoperative use. This advanced system, with its high resolution transducers, can also be used for deep penetrating abdominal evaluation, for example of the aorto-iliac, renal and mesenteric arteries. Color-duplex ultrasound Spectral Doppler Display is both sophisticated and versatile: it may be used for diagnostic purposes; for screening prior to an intervention; during percutaneous interventions or grafting as a guidance system; for post-therapy evaluation of hemodynamic results; and for follow up.

Ongoing specialized surveillance with IVUS and other noninvasive observation techniques allows earlier detection and treatment of vascular lesions. Since many patients with vascular disorders will progress to the point of needing surgery, this surveillance is critical. Catching and treating disorders early often reduces the patient's chances of a lifetime of pain and tissue loss by allowing repair of the vessel prior to its total shutdown, which, in many instances can result in the need for formal bypass surgery.

In addition, the Institute offers the only operating room and staff in a large geographic radius dedicated solely to endovascular interventions. We have a dedicated anesthesia team, as well as a dedicated vascular operating team available for consultation and evaluation 24 hours a day.