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After Clinic trial in Rochester, Kristi Coody continues her care in Florida
Kristi Coody had suffered migraine-like headaches for three months, but this time the pain was more intense. She lay down on the living room floor of her Orange City, Fla., home and let her girls play around her. Her husband found her there when he came home from work that evening.
“This headache was much different than before and lasted approximately 16 hours before it broke,” Coody recalls.
She started keeping a log of her headaches and realized the episodes had become more frequent, more intense and longer lasting than before. She talked to one of her doctors.
“When I was going over it with him, I realized that I’d had nine severe migraines within 14 days,” Coody says. She asked her doctor to order a CT scan “to see if something was going on.”
That proactive approach paid off. Within four hours of her initial CT scan, Coody found out she had an aneurysm, a life-threatening bulge in one of the blood vessels in her brain. Her aneurysm was about an inch in diameter. With two small children, Coody, age 40, wasted no time finding a solution.
Coody went online and researched medical centers with expertise in brain aneurysms. Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., was at the top of her list and was a two hour drive away. Within a week, Coody met with Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon Ricardo Hanel, M.D., Ph.D., who told her about a new device being tested to divert the flow of blood from an aneurysm and stop the ballooning of blood vessels. The device — known as a flow diverter — was available to patients at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Rochester, Minn., as part of a clinical study evaluating the new technology.
“It seemed like the right choice,” Coody says.
In January 2011, Coody and her husband traveled to Rochester for the minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Hanel traveled to Rochester, too, to perform the surgery. He worked alongside Rochester colleagues, neurosurgeon Giuseppe Lanzino, M.D., and neuroradiologist David Kallmes, M.D.
“These new flow diverters have a tight mesh that covers about 35 percent of the aneurysm. When placed in the artery, the flow diverter forces the blood to flow around the aneurysm and helps it to dissolve into itself,” explains Dr. Hanel.
The new technique reduces the recurrence of aneurysms as compared to other endovascular procedures. Recovery time is shorter, too, because the device is implanted through a vein in the groin, eliminating the need for open surgery. Long-term results are promising. “Six months later, the images are showing the aneurysm is completely gone,” says Dr. Hanel.
“I had the procedure on a Monday, was released from the hospital on Tuesday and I flew home on Thursday,” says Coody. Four months after the procedure, an image of her artery showed the aneurysm had disappeared. This “definitely met my expectations — that the flow diverter would reduce the aneurysm in three to six months. To learn at four months it was successful — I’m overjoyed,” says Coody, who was the 27th patient enrolled in the clinical study and one of the youngest.
The new technique is recommended for people with difficult-to-treat brain aneurysms because of the size, location or previous failed treatments, says Dr. Lanzino. The treatment was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in spring 2011.
In the course of Coody’s treatment, doctors found three smaller aneurysms. “There was only a 1 percent chance that the smaller aneurysms could rupture, but my concern was that if any did rupture, the likelihood of survival is only 40 percent,” says Coody.
Coody wasn’t willing to take the chance. In June 2011, physicians at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Jacksonville inserted two flow diverters and used platinum coils on the third aneurysm, customizing the treatment to each aneurysm. Mayo Clinic in Florida was one of the first facilities in the country to offer the flow diverter procedures after FDA approval.
“We suspect that in December, when my next imaging is scheduled, we will find the same results that we did from the larger one,” Coody says. Although she still has headaches, Coody says they are manageable, and she has the support of a team of doctors who continue to care for her and monitor her healing process.
“Mayo Clinic has definitely changed our lives,” she says. “When we came here they showed me all my pictures from CT scans and arteriograms and explained things in so much detail.”
Dr. Lanzino says it’s important for patients to considerall of their treatment options. Flow diverters have been used for five years around the world and studied at Mayo Clinic for two years. “We’re still building evidence on long-term results,” he says.
(This story comes to us from the Sharing Mayo Clinic print publication.)
WHAT BOTHERS ME IS WHY DID HER DR NOT SEND HER SOMEWHERE FOR TEST.TO HAVE THAT MANY HEADACHES IS NOT NORMAL
it is a blessing that all turned out well for this lady. Mayo in Rochester is a wonderful place -In July 2001 my husband had a horrible headache, felt nausea, one day after coming home from work , layed down hoping it go away; but it became more painful and he began to tremble. Our daughter & I got him to the local hospital (WMC), cat scan was done, Dr. on call didn’t know for sure what was going on, thought he was have seizure activity ? I was persistent & asked to have him transferred by ambulance to Mason City- Dr there saw bleeding in the brain when they did the cat scan- immediately he was life flighted to St. Mary’s hospital ( Mayo) in Rochester. Thank God the brain did not swell- surgery took place- he survived ! chances of survival for this is low, then survival with stroke symptoms is high- he beat the odds ! After 3 wks up there, he came home, did physical therapy, and returned to work at Hagie Mfg. 3 months after surgery ! We are so thankful for the fine Doctors & nurses and other medical staff we had and the power of prayer on this journey. thank you for letting me share this. Sincerely, Arlene
My question is, whether the location where the aneurysm will give a similar percentage chance of success, or is there a specific location who have a small chance?
I had headache and eye pain for a year and was given antibiotics 6 times before I begged to see nuerologist. He gave me shot in head and sent me for IV drug cocktail, I begged for MRI. When I got home he said I bet you still have your headache, found a giant aneurysm in caverous sinus. Saw nuero surgeon at Abbott NW in Mpls and said it was inoperable. I am from Rochester and went to Mayo for 2nd opinion, same news inoperable but there was a new flow diverter available in a few years. Researched pipeline embolization device, called company and talked to Dr in charge of research and was told Mayo doing trials, he called Mayo on my behalf. Saw Dr Lanzino at Mayo, was told trials had ended but he would appeal to the FDA for compassionate use. FDA approved and had my surgery in 12/09 on of the first few in the US thanks to Mayo and Dr Lanzino! Anuerysm was gone in 6 month angiogram, MIRACLE! There is no place better if you need help, if it is possible they will do it. Grateful forever, Rick Hibbing