What is Neurointerventional Radiology?
Neurointerventional Radiology (NIR), also known as Neurointerventional Surgery, is a type of specialized medical procedure. A sub-specialty of Interventional Radiology, it focuses on using small incisions and imaging technology to diagnose and treat problems in the brain and spine. One example of a diagnostic test is angiography, which helps doctors see if there are any abnormal blood vessels in the brain, spine, head, or neck that need treatment. Treatments for these issues may include embolization and sclerotherapy.
During embolization, doctors inject a material into the abnormal blood vessels to block blood flow and make them smaller. Sclerotherapy involves injecting medicine directly into the abnormal blood vessels to make them scar and shrink. In both treatments, doctors use imaging technology like ultrasound and X-rays to guide them and make sure the treatment is done accurately.
Why Choose Lurie Children's for Neurointerventional Radiology?
At Lurie Children’s, our sub-specialty trained pediatric neurointerventional radiologists specialize in treating infants and children of all ages. Our neurointerventional team uses image guidance to perform minimally invasive procedures using needles or catheters (thin, flexible tubes) that are inserted through tiny incisions. This approach typically results in less pain and allows for quicker recovery times for patients.
Our team has performed a total of more than 2,000 minimally-invasive, image-guided procedures since the beginning of our program in 2005 and performs more than 150 procedures annually.
The Neurointerventional Radiology Program is led by Ali Shaibani, MD, a nationally renowned neurointerventional radiologist who has pioneered treatment of cerebrovascular diseases in children affecting the head, neck and spine using cutting-edge neurointerventional techniques.
Conditions We Treat
Our team provides treatment for a wide-range of conditions affecting the brain, spine, head and neck, including:
- Arteriovenous shunts (AVM) of the head and neck (outside of the skull)
- Cancer or genetic conditions (delivery of medications into the thecal sac surrounding the brain and spine)
- Congenital high flow arterial venous shunts of the brain and spine, including vein of Galen malformations and dural sinus malformations
- Cystic and benign tumors of the skull, facial bones and spinal column, including osteoid osteoma and aneurysmal bone cysts
- Hemangiomas of the spine
- Retinoblastoma
- Spinal CSF leaks
- Spinal muscular atrophy
- Spinal pain (spinal injections)
- Tumors of the brain, head neck and spine (biopsy, embolization)
- Venous and lymphatic (slow-flow) malformations of the head and neck as well as the spine and paraspinous region
What to Expect
Patients are usually referred to NIR by specialists like Neurosurgery, Neurology, Dermatology, Otolaryngology, Orthopedic Surgery, or your child's pediatrician. Once referred, you'll have either an in-person or telemedicine clinic visit with a NIR provider. We'll go over your child's history and past imaging, and make a plan for further tests or treatments if needed. If your child needs a procedure, we'll talk about it with you, including the risks and benefits, and set expectations for the day of the procedure, how long they'll stay afterward, and any follow-up care.
Most NIR procedures need general anesthesia. So, during your first visit, we'll do a thorough checkup and address any concerns before the procedure. We'll answer any questions you have. On the procedure day, we'll review everything again, answer more questions, and get your consent. If anesthesia is needed, you and your child will come 90 minutes early. Then, anesthesia providers will check your child's condition, and nurses will prepare them. We'll confirm arrival times and diet restrictions the day before, usually after 2 p.m.
After the procedure, your child will go to the recovery area. How long they stay depends on the procedure. Sometimes, they may need to stay for observation. We'll also arrange for any follow-up appointments needed.
Our Neurointerventional Radiologists
Lurie Children’s Neurointerventional Radiology team is made up of doctors, advanced practice providers, nurses and technologists, all sub-specialized in pediatric neurointerventional radiology.
Ali Shaibani, MD, MBA
Chief of Neurointerventional Radiology in the Department of Radiology and Professor of Radiology, Neurological Surgery and Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Attending Physician
Sameer Ansari, MD, PhD
Professor of Radiology, Neurological Surgery and Neurology - Ken and Ruth Davee Department, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Attending Physician
Donald R. Cantrell, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Radiology (Neurointerventional Radiology) and Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Attending Physician
Ramez N. Abdalla, MD
Assistant Professor of Radiology (Neurointerventional Radiology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Make an Appointment
Call to make an appointment with our Neurointerventional Radiology team.
Your Visit
Learn about our Culture of Care for information about your upcoming visit and the services we offer, including:
Our Research
Our team is dedicated to identifying better diagnostic methods and therapies to continue to provide the best medical treatments for our patients. View our recent research publications below.
Pediatric Research Publications
- HydroCoil embolization of a ruptured infectious aneurysm in a pediatric patient: case report and review of the literature
- Intracranial vertebral artery dissection with subarachnoid hemorrhage following child abuse
- Infectious intracranial aneurysms in the pediatric population: endovascular treatment with Onyx
- Isolated Origin of the Left Internal Carotid Artery from the Pulmonary Artery
- Neurointervention in Pediatrics
- Onyx embolization of intracranial arteriovenous malformations in pediatric patients
- Successful treatment of recurrent basilar artery occlusion with intra-arterial thrombolysis and vertebral artery coiling in a child
- Juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma in association with arteriovenous malformation
- Safety and efficacy of onyx embolization for pediatric cranial and spinal vascular lesions and tumors
- Progressive intracranial fusiform aneurysms and T-cell immunodeficiency
- Onyx embolization of intracranial arteriovenous malformations in pediatric patients
- Endovascular management of pediatric high-flow vertebro-vertebral fistula with reversed basilar artery flow. A case report and review of the literature
- Use of Onyx for endovascular embolization of pediatric spinal perimedullary (Type IV) fistula: Case report
- Endovascular Correction of an Infantile Intracranial Venous Outflow Obstruction: Case Report
- E-004 vascular causes of pediatric intracranial hypertension
- In-vivo Assessment of the Impact of Endovascular Embolization on 3D Intracranial Hemodynamics in Pediatric Patients With Vein of Galen Aneurysmal Malformations
- Age-Related Changes of Normal Cerebral and Cardiac Blood Flow in Children and Adults from 7 Months to 61 Years
- Endovascular Management of Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations with Various Angioarchitecture Features in the Pediatric Population: Is Spetzler-Martin Grading Predictive?
- Onyx Embolization in Pediatric Neurointerventional Procedures
- The rare case of a large complex intraosseous cranial arteriovenous malformation with successful multidisciplinary management
- Onyx Embolization in Pediatric Neurointerventional Procedures
- Pediatric Arteriovenous Malformations
- MynxGrip vascular closure device use in pediatric neurointerventional procedures
- Transforaminal intrathecal access for injection of Nusinersen in children with spinal muscular atrophy
- Choroidal Artery Embolization in the Management of Cerebrospinal Fluid Overproduction: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
- Safety and outcome of combined endovascular and surgical management of low grade cerebral arteriovenous malformations in children compared to surgery alone
- Transforaminal Intrathecal Access for Injection of Nusinersen in Adult & Pediatric Patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy
- Use of Nimodipine in a neonate with cerebral vasospasm with delayed ischemia from subarachnoid hemorrhage in the posterior fossa
- Pipeline embolization of cerebral aneurysms in pediatric patients: combined systematic review of patient-level data and multicenter retrospective review
- Pediatric diagnostic cerebral angiography: practice recommendations from the SNIS Pediatric Committee
- Why do humans undergo an adiposity rebound? Exploring links with the energetic costs of brain development in childhood using MRI-based 4D measures of total cerebral blood flow
Adult Research Publications
- The significance of enthesopathy as a skeletal phenomenon
- Firearm Safety in the MR Imaging Environment
- Transient Hydrocephalus as a Presenting Sign Associated with Adrenoleukodystrophy
- Lack of Correlation Between Pattern of Collaterization and Misery Perfusion in Patients with Carotid Occlusion
- Comparison of CT Myelography Performed in the Prone and Supine Positions in the Detection of Cervical Spinal Stenosis
- Contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Angiography The Carotid Circulation (Review)
- Myelographic MR Imaging of the Cervical Spine with a 3D True Fast Imaging with Steady State Precession Technique: Initial Experience
- Gadolinium leakage into the surgical bed mimicking residual enhancement following spinal cord surgery
- Temporary balloon occlusion (TBO) to test adequacy of collateral flow to the retina and tolerance for endovascular aneurysmal coiling: Report of 2 cases and technical note
- Rheolytic Catheter Thrombectomy, Balloon Angioplasty and Direct rtPA Thrombolysis of Dural Sinus Thrombosis with Pre-existing Hemorrhagic Infarctions
- Endovascular Treatment of Dural Arteriovenous Shunts. Seminars in Cerebrovascular Diseases and Stroke
- Update on Carotid Artery Stenting: Part II. Contemporary Neurosurgery
- Anatomy and pathology of the eye: role of MR imaging and CT
- Orbital and ocular imaging using 3-and 1.5-T MR imaging systems
- Orbital cavernous hemangioma: role of imaging
- Temporary and Permanent Occlusion of Cervical and Cerebral Arteries
- MR angiographic Evaluation of Platinum coil packs at 1.5 T and 3T: an in vitro assessment of artifact production: technical note
- Determination of Optimal Gadolinium concentration using SSFP for catheter-directed contrast-enhanced coronary MR angiography
- Transarterial Coil Embolization of a high-flow Vertebrojugular Fistula due to Penetrating Craniocervical Trauma: Case report
- Acquired Chiari Malformation Type 1 Associated with a Supratentorial Arteriovenous Malformation. Case report and Review of the Literature
- Intracaranial time-resolved contrast-enhanced MR angiography at 3T
- First results in an MR imaging-compatible canine model of acute stroke
- Retrograde Suction Decompression of Giant Paraclinoid Aneurysms Using a 7 French Balloon-containing Guide Catheter
- Use of Heparin-Coated Stents in Neurovascular Interventional Procedures: Preliminary Experience with 10 Patients
- Higher Hemoglobin is Associated with Less Cerebral Infarction, Poor Outcome and Death after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage\
- Acute physiological derangement is associated with early radiographic cerebral infarction after subarachnoid haemorrhage
- Brain Arteriovenous Malformations: Current Endovascular Strategies
- Retrograde Suction Decompression of Giant Paraclinoid Aneurysm Using a Concentric Balloon-Containing Guide Catheter: Technical Note
- Spinal Arteriovenous Malformations Associated with Klippel Trenaunay Weber Syndrome: A Literature Search and Report of Two Cases
- Primary Treatment of an Indirect Carotid Cavernous Fistula by Injection of NBCA into the Dural Wall of the Cavernous Sinus
- Pulsatility Imaging of Saccular Aneurysm Model by 64-Slice CT with Dynamic Multiscan Technique
- Fracture of a nitinol carotid artery stent that caused restenosis
- Time-resolved spinal MR angiography: initial clinical experience in the evaluation of spinal arteriovenous shunts
- Endovascular management of a ruptured cavernous carotid artery aneurysm associated with a carotid cavernous fistula with an intracranial self-expanding microstent and hydrogel-coated coil embolization: case report and review of the literature
- Coil embolization of posttraumatic pseudoaneurysm of the ophthalmic artery causing subarachnoid hemorrhage. Case report
- Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty for the palliation of pain
- Appearance of the neuroform stent on computed tomography angiographic images: imaging pitfall
- Persistent trigeminal artery terminating in the posterior inferior cerebellar artery: case report
- Preoperative Onyx Embolization of Aggressive Vertebral Hemangiomas
- Emergent Image-Guided Treatment of a Large CSF Leak to Reverse "In-Extremis" Signs of Intracranial Hypotension
- Method for rapid calculation of quantitative cerebral perfusion
- Endovascular recanalization for subacute symptomatic intracranial arterial occlusion: A report of two cases
- Arteriovenous Malformations of the Scalp: Current Management Options
- Periprocedural MRI perfusion imaging to assess and monitor the hemodynamic impact of intracranial angioplasty and stenting for symptomatic atherosclerotic stenosis
- Transvenous embolization of a high-flow, posttraumatic fistula between the posterior communicating artery and retroclival venous plexus
- Trans-arterial embolization of a complex, indirect carotid-cavernous fistula with Onyx
- Endovascular Techniques for the Treatment of Carotid Cavernous Fistulas
- State of the art head and neck imaging for the endovascular specialist
- Percutaneous Vertebroplasty
- A novel guide catheter enabling intracranial placement
- Radiotherapy induced common carotid pseudoaneurysm presenting with initially occult upper airway hemorrhage and successfully treated by endovascular stent-graft
- Reversal of diffusion restriction after embolization of dural arteriovenous fistula: case report
- Prospective randomized trial of higher goal hemoglobin after subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Intraventricular Hemorrhage Secondary to Intranidal Aneurysm Rupture: Successful management by AVM embolization followed by intraventricular tPA: Case Report
- The Impact of Coil Shape Design on Angiographic Occlusion, Packing Density and Coil Mass Uniformity in Aneurysm Embolization: An In Vitro Study
- Endovascular stroke therapy: a single-center retrospective review
- Spontaneous post-partum cervical carotid artery dissection in a patient with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome
- Embolization of Intracranial Aneurysms with Second Generation Matrix2 Detachable Coils: Mid-term and Long-term Results
- Intra-arterial cone beam CT angiography for the precise anatomic localization of intracranial and spinal arteriovenous fistulas
- Juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma in association with arteriovenous malformation
- T1 Gadolinium Enhancement of Intracranial Atherosclerotic Plaques Associated with Symptomatic Ischemic Presentations
- Should Patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Be Screened for Cerebral Aneurysms?
- Three-Dimensional Hemodynamics in Intracranial Aneurysms: Influence of Size and Morphology
- Ruptured Spinal Artery Aneurysm Associated With Coarctation of the Aorta: Case Report and Literature Review
- Adjunctive value of intra-arterial cone-beam CT angiography relative to DSA in the evaluation of cranial and spinal arteriovenous fistulas
- Perfusion-based selection for endovascular reperfusion therapy in anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke
- Rare Neurovascular Variants Arising from the Internal Carotid Artery
- P-004 Comparison of mechanical thrombectomy devices in acute stroke intervention: MERCI retriever vs penumbra vacuum aspiration system
- High-grade dural arteriovenous fistula causing subarachnoid hemorrhage with CT angiographic detection of a discrete draining venous outpouching consistent with the rupture site
- The Role of Antiplatelet Therapy in Aneurysm Coiling
- E-005 short-term outcomes of acute ischemic stroke patients with MCA/ICA occlusion excluded for intra-arterial reperfusion therapy
- Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease and Intracranial Aneurysms: Is There an Increased Risk of Treatment?
- Quantifying Intracranial Aneurysm Wall Permeability for Risk Assessment Using Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI: A Pilot Study
- Novel use of a double lumen balloon catheter for venous sinus thrombolysis and venoplasty
- Evaluation of 4D vascular flow and tissue perfusion in cerebral arteriovenous malformations: influence of Spetzler-Martin grade, clinical presentation, and AVM risk factors
- P-034 comparison of the natural history and outcome measures in patients presented with unruptured and ruptured intracranial arteriovenous malformations
- E-004 intracranial venous hypertension due to severe focal web-like stenosis of the sigmoid sinus associated with contralateral sinus hypoplasia: a new diagnostic entity?
- Focal Stenosis of the Sigmoid Sinus Causing Intracranial Venous Hypertension: Case Report, Endovascular Management, and Review of the Literature
- Familial incidence of the congenital torcular dural arteriovenous shunt: Case report and review of the literature
- Multicenter assessment of morbidity associated with cerebral arteriovenous malformation hemorrhages
- Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak from an anomalous thoracic nerve root: case report
- Neurointerventional management of carotid webs associated with recurrent and acute cerebral ischemic syndromes