Reminder - OR-Live.com Presents: Brigham and Women's Hospital Cardiovascular Center Features Live Webcast of New Angioplasty and Stenting Treatment for Atherosclerotic Carotid Artery Disease

On Wednesday, May 11, 2005, at 4:30 pm EDT (20:30 UTC), Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) will host a live Webcast for viewers to watch and learn more about endovascular stenting for the treatment of atherosclerotic carotid stenosis, a blockage of the main artery to the neck that is a common cause of stroke in America.

Andrew C. Eisenhauer, MD, director of the BWH Interventional Cardiovascular Medicine Service and Edwin C. Gravereaux, MD, director of Endovascular Surgery will be performing the procedure. Commentators for the webcast will be Campbell Rogers, MD, director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Michael Belkin, MD, chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Peter Libby, MD, chief of the Cardiovascular Division.

This procedure represents a true collaborative effort -- bringing together the expertise of the BWH cardiac catheterization laboratory and its vascular surgery department -- a combination that benefits patient outcomes.

According to Belkin, "New technology and expertise found in comprehensive medical centers such as BWH could eliminate the need for open surgery, a standard treatment for many years, for patients with obstructive atherosclerotic disease."

Libby stated, "With the aging US population, the epidemic of atherosclerotic vascular disease will become even more pronounced. However, many physicians and patients are unaware of minimally invasive treatment options that often represent the optimum treatment for carotid disease."

Atherosclerotic disease of the cervical carotid arteries is one of the primary causes of stroke in the United States affecting millions of Americans. In the past decade, great progress has been made in the endovascular treatment of atherosclerotic disease that has been extended to the carotid arteries. To best educate viewers on this procedure, the Webcast will include a discussion of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnostic and treatment options for carotid disease.

According to Eisenhauer and Gravereaux, the Webcast will also provide viewers with a rare opportunity to learn more about stenting procedures as well as see first-hand how collaboration of surgery and cardiology benefits patient outcomes. "This is a valuable procedure which many more patients could be medically eligible to receive. Our goal is to provide patients and other physicians alike with insight into these new techniques."

Visit http://www.or-live.com/brighamandwomens/1363 now to view a program preview. A VNR is available at http://www.or-live.com/rams/brw-1363-mkw-q.ram

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