An ear, nose and throat doctor examining Carole Einhorn for hearing problems recommended she undergo an MRI, where doctors discovered a tiny aneurysm in her brain. The 6 millimeter aneurysm, a vascular abnormality characterized by a bulge in the wall of a blood vessel, didn’t appear ready to burst but would have to be treated soon. Einhorn, a 62-year-old retired educator from Buffalo Grove, made an appointment to see Dr. Victor Aletich, a neurointerventionalist who treats patients at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital. Aletich performed an angiogram, a specialized x-ray used to examine the arteries and veins carrying blood to the brain, to discover the precise location of her aneurysm. She appreciated Aletich’s willingness to give her several noninvasive treatment options for the aneurysm, which was located in the paraclynoid segment of the internal carotid artery and classified as a “wide-necked” type.
“What impressed me most about Dr. Aletich was that he was very thorough and upfront and allowed me to make my own decision,” Einhorn said. “I felt empowered to go out and research all the choices to determine what would be best for me. An aneurysm is a very scary thing, but if you have a choice and you have the wherewithal to access information, you shouldn’t go into this sort of thing blindly.”
Einhorn chose to have an embolization using the Onyx Liquid Embolic System, which injects a glue-like liquid into an aneurysm to block blood flow into it and minimize the risk of rupture. Adventist Hinsdale Hospital is one of only a few hospitals in the Chicago area and about 25 in the country to offer the Onyx treatment. Einhorn’s procedure took 2½ hours and was completed May 30. She stayed in the hospital two nights and was back on the treadmill four days later.
“You can’t beat that,” Einhorn said of her quick recovery. “I felt very comfortable with my decision and was very pleased with Dr. Aletich. I felt that I was in very good hands.”