UVA neurosurgeon first in Virginia to use new device which could treat brain aneurysms more safely

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - A doctor at the University of Virginia Health System is the first in Virginia to use a new device to treat a brain aneurysm.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Min Park used the device, called the Comaneci, to prevent an aneurysm from rupturing. To do that, the device inserts platinum coils within the blood vessel to prevent the rupture. While the coils are a common way to treat aneurysms, traditional methods used a balloon to stabilize the aneurysm, which could impede blood flow and cause a stroke. Instead, the Comaneci uses a mesh frame to hold the aneurysm in place, allowing blood to flow.

“It looks to be a very, very good solution to a particularly vexing problem," Dr. Park said. "I’m looking forward to using it more and more in my practice, and I know that there are other practitioners across the state and country who will also be looking forward to getting this new device into their hands.”

The device is named after the Romanian gold medal gymnast Nadia Comăneci, the first gymnast in Olympic history to be awarded a perfect score. Park speculates the device earned that name for its flexibility: the Comaneci is inserted into a vein at the wrist, and then snaked through the veins to the site of the aneurysm in the brain.