Al Buxton looked very handsome and had a big smile on his face as he walked his daughter, Cindy, down the aisle at her wedding last August. The scene held special meaning for the Buxton family, since Al had suffered a massive stroke five years earlier. If it hadn’t been for the neuroradiology team at Intermountain Medical Center, who performed a thrombectomy to remove the massive clot, Al likely wouldn’t have been there for his daughter’s wedding.
His wife, Lois, remembers clearly the day he suffered the stroke. He’d just returned to his home in the Holladay area from a trip to Costco. He was sitting at the table and started to slump, then fell. Lois called 911 and he was rushed to the Emergency Department at Intermountain Medical Center. After the stroke was diagnosed, he was soon taken to the angio suite, where Peter Schloesser, MD, inserted a catheter into Al’s femoral artery and threaded it up into the brain, where he was able to mechanically retrieve the blood clot.
Al, now 84, is able to do most of the things he loves, although his speech is still affected. He enjoys regular golf outings with friends, reading the newspaper, taking care of the roses and tomatoes in his small garden, watching University of Utah football and basketball on TV, and spending time with Lois. Lois said Al is very helpful around the house and always makes the coffee first thing in the morning. In fact that was the first thing he did the day after he came home from the hospital. He also occasionally cooks breakfast, a task he mastered while serving as an army cook in the Korean War.
Reflecting back on Cindy’s wedding and the fact that Al was there, Lois said, “We were so excited. I was just happy for Cindy. I know Al can do anything. He wasn’t going to let this pull him down.”
Intermountain Medical Center’s team of neuroradiologists plays an important role in diagnosing and treating a number of neurological conditions.
The neuroradiologists are involved in imaging, which is used to diagnose stroke, understand the extent of traumatic brain injury, or even identify the cause of back pain or other spinal disorders.
In the Emergency Department, time is of the essence in treating strokes. Our neuroradiologists help nearly 80 percent of suspected stroke patients receive a CT scan in less than 25 minutes.
In addition, our neuroradiologists are interventionalists who have access to the latest technology that’s needed to treat a variety of conditions.
One of the more common procedures is mechanical thrombectomy to treat ischemic strokes caused by blood clots. Using fluoroscopy-guided imaging, the interventional radiologists are able to insert a catheter into the artery, retrieve the clot, and restore blood flow. The physicians also routinely place tPA, a clot-dissolving drug, into the arteries, which can be highly effective in restoring blood flow as well.
For hemorrhagic strokes, our interventional radiologists are able to use embolization, often incorporating tiny coils to stop bleeding. These procedures are sometimes done in tandem with neurosurgery.
Another area of expertise is carotid artery stenting, in which a small wire mesh is placed in a carotid artery that’s narrowed due to atherosclerotic disease.
His wife, Lois, remembers clearly the day he suffered the stroke. He’d just returned to his home in the Holladay area from a trip to Costco. He was sitting at the table and started to slump, then fell. Lois called 911 and he was rushed to the Emergency Department at Intermountain Medical Center. After the stroke was diagnosed, he was soon taken to the angio suite, where Peter Schloesser, MD, inserted a catheter into Al’s femoral artery and threaded it up into the brain, where he was able to mechanically retrieve the blood clot.
Al, now 84, is able to do most of the things he loves, although his speech is still affected. He enjoys regular golf outings with friends, reading the newspaper, taking care of the roses and tomatoes in his small garden, watching University of Utah football and basketball on TV, and spending time with Lois. Lois said Al is very helpful around the house and always makes the coffee first thing in the morning. In fact that was the first thing he did the day after he came home from the hospital. He also occasionally cooks breakfast, a task he mastered while serving as an army cook in the Korean War.
Reflecting back on Cindy’s wedding and the fact that Al was there, Lois said, “We were so excited. I was just happy for Cindy. I know Al can do anything. He wasn’t going to let this pull him down.”
Intermountain Medical Center’s team of neuroradiologists plays an important role in diagnosing and treating a number of neurological conditions.
The neuroradiologists are involved in imaging, which is used to diagnose stroke, understand the extent of traumatic brain injury, or even identify the cause of back pain or other spinal disorders.
In the Emergency Department, time is of the essence in treating strokes. Our neuroradiologists help nearly 80 percent of suspected stroke patients receive a CT scan in less than 25 minutes.
In addition, our neuroradiologists are interventionalists who have access to the latest technology that’s needed to treat a variety of conditions.
One of the more common procedures is mechanical thrombectomy to treat ischemic strokes caused by blood clots. Using fluoroscopy-guided imaging, the interventional radiologists are able to insert a catheter into the artery, retrieve the clot, and restore blood flow. The physicians also routinely place tPA, a clot-dissolving drug, into the arteries, which can be highly effective in restoring blood flow as well.
For hemorrhagic strokes, our interventional radiologists are able to use embolization, often incorporating tiny coils to stop bleeding. These procedures are sometimes done in tandem with neurosurgery.
Another area of expertise is carotid artery stenting, in which a small wire mesh is placed in a carotid artery that’s narrowed due to atherosclerotic disease.