Winnipeg Trial: Embolization Plus Surgery Cut Brain-Bleed Recurrence to 4 Percent Versus 28 Percent for Surgery Alone

A randomized clinical trial conducted in Winnipeg found that embolization of the middle meningeal artery reduced the recurrence of chronic brain bleeds to about 4 percent when added to surgery, compared with 28 percent for surgery alone. Cbc reported that the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in April 2026, followed 186 patients aged 14 to 88 for 90 days. Dr.

Jai Shankar, a professor of radiology at the University of Manitoba and an interventional radiologist at the Health Sciences Centre, led the trial. Patients were divided into two groups, with one receiving the embolization procedure in addition to surgery. Cbc reported that the procedure reduces blood flow to the brain’s outer covering to limit re-bleeding.

Chronic brain bleeds often produce stroke-like symptoms including weakness, vision or speech problems, and headaches. Older men are three times more likely than women to experience them, Cbc reported. Surgery for immediate bleeds can be followed by recurrence, prompting the test of the additional treatment.

The embolization procedure has been in use for about a decade and is already performed in Manitoba, though Shared Health has no data on its frequency. Cbc reported Shankar stating that the approach will reduce hospital system costs while improving patient care. Shankar said the findings are already changing treatment in Winnipeg, Manitoba, across Canada, and globally.

He described the work as a source of pride for the city and province and noted its potential to affect patient care worldwide.