Media Release

Window on the brain technology an Australian first

24 November 2005
 
Brain aneurysm patients can for the first time avoid risky open-skull surgery thanks to a southern hemisphere first in brain imaging technology now available in Melbourne.

Health Minister Bronwyn Pike today launched a new state-funded window on the brain to help save previously untreatable patients.

Ms Pike said the $1.35 million digital angiography machine at The Royal Melbourne Hospital brings new hope for hundreds of brain aneurysm patients.

'The Bracks Government is investing tens of millions of dollars in new medical equipment so Victorians get the care and treatment they deserve,' Ms Pike said.

'We are the only place in the southern hemisphere to have one of these machines, which is revolutionising treatment of aneurysm patients and is ultimately saving lives.'

Brain aneurysms are weak spots on artery walls that balloon and fill with blood. They trap blood that should be flowing through the arteries and can grow, putting pressure on other areas of the brain or bursting, which can lead to brain cell damage and mental and physical injury.

Rather than having surgeons cut through the skull to operate on the brain, the new technology allows a coil to be inserted through a catheter in the groin. It is then fed through arteries until it reaches a brain aneurysm and the coil is fed into the aneurysm, filling it and blocking all blood flow to it so it doesn't grow.

'This new machinery will pave the way for doctors to identify difficult aneurysms more easily, meaning faster and safer remedies such as coiling will be available to combat aneurysms that traditionally have required open brain surgery,' Ms Pike said.

The new machine takes a digital image of the brain in 3D form, making computer images available to doctors within minutes. The images show a roadmap of the brain's arteries and provide detailed pictures of aneurysms from every angle, allowing doctors and surgeons to discuss the best treatment options.

'Images now come through within two minutes rather than half an hour and the pictures are far better. It's phenomenally quick and is clearly the way of the future,' Ms Pike said.

Head of the Neuro-interventional Unit at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Associate Professor Peter Mitchell, said having the revolutionary technology put Melbourne at the cutting edge of brain aneurysm treatment.

'I wish I'd been doing this for the last 10 years. There was a time when an angiogram couldn't see into someone's belly, let alone their brain. It would have been unthinkable to do what we're now doing back then,' Associate Professor Mitchell said.

Stroke victim Dorian Zulianello was one of the first to have his life saved, thanks to the new machine.

After being taken to hospital with a severe headache, it was found Mr Zulianello had suffered a stroke. The new angiograph machine detected an aneurysm dangerously deep within his brain, previously accessible only through difficult open brain surgery.

'Having this new technology saved Mr Zulianello's life,' Associate Professor Mitchell said.

'It allowed us to perform the coiling procedure on him which drastically reduced his chances of stroke or disability and it helped him avoid other complications and make an excellent recovery.'

( Media Release from Health Minister)