Dr. Elad Levy Performs Groundbreaking Carotid Artery Stent, Setting New Precedent for Outpatient Surgery
UB Neurosurgery (UBNS) surgeons recently completed the first outpatient ambulatory carotid artery stent in the U.S., showcasing the potential for outpatient neurovascular surgery and paving the way for faster, more cost-effective, and convenient patient care. The procedure took place at the Atlas Surgery Center in Williamsville, New York. Atlas is the nation’s first ambulatory surgery center performing cerebral diagnostic and interventional procedures.
The Atlas Endovascular team, led by Dr. Elad I. Levy, MD, Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery, performed the surgery live for attendees at the 2025 meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS).
About the Procedure
During the procedure, UBNS surgeons operated on a patient with asymptomatic carotid stenosis with a past medical history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia.
Dr. Levy and the rest of the team stented the left carotid artery using a Neuroguard IEP system. This three-in-one solution combines a filter, stent, and post-dilation balloon, allowing the team to reduce exchanges and streamline the operation.
Following the surgery, the UBNS team used the Hyperfine Swoop System, which is a new portable MRI technology, to immediately assess the intracranial environment and rule out complications post-op at the point of care.
What It Means for the Future of Patient Care
The live procedure stands as a strong example of the potential to perform neuroendovascular procedures outside of the hospital at ambulatory surgery centers. Tools like the Neuroguard IEP system and the AI-powered Hyperfine Swoop allowed Dr. Levy and the other doctors to streamline the procedure, ensure patient safety, and improve the quality of care.
The added efficiency also meant the patient was able to go home the same day. These procedures typically require an overnight stay when done at a hospital setting, and this was the first to enable a same-day discharge in an outpatient ambulatory surgery center. This emphasizes the benefits of tech-driven, outpatient neuroendovascular surgery for both patients and medical staff. By transferring these procedures to outpatient facilities, the industry can remove bottlenecks and leave hospitals with more room and resources to focus on more complex and emergent cases.
The live operation presented at the 2025 annual meeting of the CNS highlights both the capabilities of UBNS and Atlas and offers a glimpse into the future of neurosurgery as a whole. This groundbreaking procedure is just the latest milestone UBNS has achieved with respect to CNS. In 2023, UBNS was recognized for having 140 research abstracts accepted to the meeting.
