We report the microsurgical rescue and removal of a Pipeline stent embolization of a giant internal carotid artery terminus aneurysm. After the initial placement of a Pipeline Embolization Device (PED), it migrated proximally to the cavernous carotid with the distal end free in the middle of the aneurysm, resulting in only partial aneurysm neck coverage. The patient underwent microsurgical rescue with trapping, bypass, and opening of the aneurysm with PED removal. The vessel remained patent in the proximal segment previously covered by the Pipeline stent. Microsurgical rescue for definitive aneurysm treatment with PED removal can be safe and effective for aneurysms unsuccessfully treated with PED.
Rudolf Nissen (1896-1981) was a surgeon whose career began in Germany during the first third of the 20th century, a period of rapid progress in biomedical technology, during which neurosurgery, anesthesiology, and other specialties emerged. A protégé and later close colleague of thoracic surgery pioneer Ferdinand Sauerbruch (1875-1951), Nissen resigned from the Berlin Charité Clinic and left Germany in 1933, in response to the rise of Nazi fascism. Throughout his subsequent career in Istanbul, Turkey, the American cities of Boston and New York, and finally Basel, Switzerland, Nissen developed innovative surgical techniques, advocated for patient-centered medical education, and promoted surgical subspecialization. A lifelong proponent of clear scientific writing, Nissen expressed, in extensively published work, his philosophy that progress in surgery depends critically on rigorously applying the scientific method, upholding professional integrity, and respecting human dignity.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.