Expands Treatment Options for Patients with Brain Aneurysms Previously Difficult to Treat Due to Their Shape or Location

Personalized Treatment Tailored to Each Patient's Anatomy, Backed by Experience with 20,000 Brain Aneurysm Procedures and the Latest Technology

▲ Professor Jung Cheol Park of the Department of Neurosurgery at Asan Medical Center performs Korea's first procedure using the new Artisse device on a patient with a brain aneurysm on July 20.

A new treatment device for brain aneurysms, which can cause life-threatening brain hemorrhage if the weakened wall of a cerebral artery balloons outward and ruptures, has been introduced in Korea for the first time. The device is expected to expand treatment options for patients whose aneurysms were previously difficult to treat with conventional techniques because of their shape or anatomical characteristics.

The Cerebrovascular Center at Asan Medical Center (Professors Byung Duk Kwun, Jae Sung Ahn, Jung Cheol Park, and June Ho Choi of the Department of Neurosurgery, and Professors Deok Hee Lee, Yunsun Song, and Boseong Kwon of the Department of Radiology at Asan Medical Center) recently became the first in Korea to introduce the Artisse™ intrasaccular brain aneurysm device. On July 20, Professor Jung Cheol Park of the Department of Neurosurgery at Asan Medical Center successfully performed the country's first five procedures using the Artisse device on five patients with brain aneurysms.

All five patients treated with Artisse had wide-necked aneurysms located at arterial branch points, making them particularly challenging to treat with conventional techniques.

Artisse is an intrasaccular device that is deployed inside the aneurysm sac to block blood flow into the aneurysm. The metal mesh device conforms closely to the shape of the aneurysm, reducing blood inflow and promoting the natural formation of a blood clot within the sac. Over time, this process seals off the aneurysm from the circulation.

Before selecting Artisse, the medical team carefully evaluated a range of established treatment options, including coil embolization, in which platinum coils are placed inside the aneurysm to block blood flow; stent assisted coil embolization, which uses a stent to stabilize the coils within the parent artery; and microsurgical clipping, in which the skull is opened and a clip is placed across the neck of the aneurysm. After comprehensively assessing each patient's aneurysm morphology and anatomical characteristics, the team determined that Artisse was the most appropriate treatment option.

Artisse is considered a promising new alternative that addresses some of the limitations of existing therapies. Available in 20 different sizes based on diameter and height, the device allows physicians to select the most suitable model according to the aneurysm's size, shape, and location, enabling a more personalized approach to treatment.

▲ Schematic illustration of the Artisse brain aneurysm device. (Courtesy of Medtronic)

Artisse is expected to be particularly beneficial for patients with wide neck aneurysms or bifurcation aneurysms, where major blood vessels branch and conventional treatment is often technically challenging. Another potential advantage is that, in selected patients, the device may reduce the need for long-term antiplatelet therapy.

Since performing its first brain aneurysm surgery in 1989, the Cerebrovascular Center at Asan Medical Center has treated a wide range of complex brain aneurysms. Building on the nation's largest clinical experience, the team recently became the first in Korea to surpass 20,000 brain aneurysm treatments, further strengthening its ability to adopt and apply advanced treatment technologies.

Professor Jung Cheol Park of the Department of Neurosurgery at Asan Medical Center said, "Artisse is expected to provide an additional treatment option for patients with brain aneurysms that are difficult to treat with conventional coil embolization alone or for those who are not ideal candidates for open surgery because of advanced age or underlying medical conditions.

"At Asan Medical Center, we offer personalized treatment based on each patient's anatomical characteristics through our comprehensive cerebrovascular program, which provides both microsurgical and endovascular treatment. We will continue to safely introduce innovative treatment technologies to further improve patient outcomes."

Artisse is an intrasaccular brain aneurysm device developed by Medtronic. It is a next generation model that improves on the design and sizing system of an earlier device first introduced in Europe in the early 2010s. The current Artisse system was officially launched in Europe in 2024 and became available for clinical use in Korea after receiving approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on June 1, 2026.