Balloon occlusion testing is performed prior to ligation of a cerebral artery, such as in the treatment of giant aneurysms1.
Procedure
During balloon occlusion testing, an inflatable balloon is placed endovascularly in the desired vessel in an awake patient, interrupting blood flow through the vessel. This allows potential neurological deficits resulting from therapeutic occlusion to be identified.
History
Balloon occlusion testing was first described by Serbinenko in 19742.
References
Neurosurgery Case Review: Questions and Answers. Remi Nader, Abdulrahman J Sabbagh. 2020 Thieme Publishers. ISBN 9781626231986 ↩ ↩
Serbinenko, F. A. "Balloon catheterization and occlusion of major cerebral vessels." Journal of neurosurgery 41.2 (1974): 125-145. ↩ ↩