Jennifer Matthews: Today, scrapbooking helps Judy Goatley relax. A few weeks ago, she was on shaky ground.
Judy Goatley: I was just kind of going back and forth like I had a few drinks too many or something.
Jennifer Matthews: Judy had a mini stroke. Doctors found a large brain aneurysm that could have caused it.
Dr. Stanley Barnwell; An aneurysm is basically a bubble on an artery. The wall of an aneurysm is very thin, so it can tend to break and burst at that point.
Jennifer Matthews: To keep it from bursting, doctors typically feed bare metal coils through an artery to seal the aneurysm. The problem is it can grow back. To treat Judy, doctors used this new hydrocoil. It's gel-coated and expands, so aneurysms can't grow.
Dr. Stanley Barnwell: When the coils are first put in, you see a single strand start to ball up, and then as you start to pack the aneurysm and it gets filled up, then you use shorter or smaller coils.
Jennifer Matthews: The hydrocoils absorb fluid and can expand to fill three times the amount of space as standard coils.
Dr. Stanley Barnwell: What that does is seal the bubble but still allows flow to go through the artery up into the brain.
Jennifer Matthews: Doctor Barnwell says this new coil could last longer and save patients from needing more treatment. Judy says knowing the new technology took care of her aneurysm is a relief.
Judy Goatley: It was just like the world had been lifted off my shoulders.
Jennifer Matthews: And now she can enjoy all of her time, stress free. This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.
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