Medical Services • Stroke

A stroke or “brain attack” occurs when there is a sudden loss of circulation to an area of the brain. If not diagnosed and treated quickly, a stroke can cause you serious long-term disabilities such as trouble speaking or difficulty with comprehension, impaired vision, problems with balance and coordination, confusion and memory loss.

Ischemic strokes - account for 80% of all strokes

Ischemic strokes occur when plaque (fat and cholesterol deposits), caused by atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, builds up in the carotid arteries and restricts blood flow to the brain.

• The carotid arteries are located on either side of the neck and supply blood to the head and brain
• The plaque can narrow the artery itself causing less flow to the brain, or cause a clot to form over the plaque which can break loose to block an artery inside the skull, supplying blood to the brain
• This restricted blood flow results in acute ischemic strokes

Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) or “mini-strokes”

TIAs are temporary blockages that produce stroke symptoms that may disappear after a few minutes or hours. TIAs could signal a much larger stroke and should be taken very seriously.

Advanced, minimally invasive procedures are available for many other neurological issues, including:

• Brain aneurysms
• Stroke - Intra-arterial administration of tPA and mechanical clot removal
• Arteriovenous congenital and acquired malformations (AVM)
• Narrowing (stenosis) of intracranial arteries
• Narrowing (stenosis) of neck arteries (carotid and vertebral arteries)
• Acute ischemic stroke
• Hemorrhagic stroke (if caused by aneurysms or arteriovenous malformations), dissections of arteries
• Venous thrombosis
• Head and Neck - Treatment of intractable epistaxis (nosebleeds). Embolization of vascular tumors of the skull-base, nose, neck, etc. Treatment of congenital and acquired vascular lesions of the head & neck such as venous malformations and AV malformations using embolization & sclerotherapy. Carotid and vertebral angioplasty and stenting.
• Spine - epidural, facet, selective nerve root injections in the Cervical, thoracic and Lumbar spine for treatment of symptoms of spinal stenosis, nerve root compression, discogenic pain. Treatment of spinal fractures (osteoporotic or pathologic) using vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty occasionally combined with coblation or radio-frequency ablation therapy. Discography for diagnosis of discogenic pain.
• CSF/Intracranial hypotension
• Interarterial injection of anti-spasmodic medication for treatment of vasospasm, administered directly to the brain
• Pediatric Neurovascular diseases - Dr. Shaibani is one three Neurointerventional surgeons in the Chicago area with significant pediatric neurovascular experience