In 2009, Beverly Aagaard Kienitz, MD and Bermans Iskandar, MD developed the wide arterial sparing encephalo-duro-synangiosis (WASEDS) procedure, which has kept their very first patient, Danielle, stroke-free for 15 years.
Dr. Aagaard Kienitz and Dr. Iskander developed the procedure as a treatment for Moyamoya disease after existing treatment did not work to stop Danielle’s strokes. Moyamoya disease is characterized by a narrowing or blocking of arteries at the base of the brain, which prevents blood flow.
The WASEDS procedure began with a highly detailed map of the patient’s brain, created by Dr. Aagaard Kienitz’s angiographic images. Once the map was complete, Dr. Iskander performed the surgery, creating a series of incisions in Danielle’s brain to encourage blood vessel growth.
The results of the surgery were everything that Danielle and her family had hoped for – her strokes stopped. Since the first surgery, Dr. Aagaard Kienitz and Dr. Iskander have performed 14 WASEDS procedures, all with the same results.
Read more about the procedure and Danielle’s recovery on the UW Health website.