Spoke with Dr. Poncelet - upcoming conference - more angio details
Spoke with Dr. Poncelet today and the main news is that there will be a conference next week at which my case will be discussed with the interventional neuroradiologist (Chris Dowd) and the neurovascular surgeon (Andy Josephson) to determine the appropriate next steps.
I also got some additional information on the angiogram process at UCSF - which is a very experienced facility. First, it is indeed a long procedure, 4 to 8 hours. Due to the length and the need to remain still, general anesthesia is used (not conscious sedation) along with intubation to breathe. The risk of stroke is about 1 in 2000. Dr. Josephson (the
The path forward is not yet clear, as my symptoms are not progressing as rapidly as common AV fistulas - although given the slow progress, I am currently leaning away from the angiogram at this point in time. More information in about a week.