Endovascular Therapy of 103 Aneurysms in the Internal Carotid Artery with Flow Re-Direction Endoluminal Device
Abstract Objective Intracranial aneurysms (AIs) are acquired vascular abnormalities that cause sacculations in the arterial wall and are present in ∼2 to 5% of the population. Among the treatment options are endovascular interventions with the use of flow-redirecting stents. In the present study, we analyzed the flow re-direction endoluminal device (FRED). Methods The present study aims to describe the results obtained from treatment with FRED in a series of patients affected by aneurysms in intracranial segments of the internal carotid artery. This is a cross-sectional, epidemiological, and observational study, whose data were obtained from the medical records of 81 patients from July 2018 to July 2019. Results One hundred and three internal carotid artery aneurysms were observed in 81 patients, with a prevalence of women (91.35%), small (< 10 mm) (89.33%), and located at the C6 level (73.78%) of the internal carotid artery. Of the 81 patients, 16 had multiple aneurysms in the same artery. One hundred and three FRED stents were used in the treatment. These patients underwent angiography 6 months after the surgery, using the O'Kelly-Marotta classification (OKM) to assess the effectiveness of the device, and it was observed that: in 91 of the 103 procedures (88.34%), the FRED was fully open and well positioned, thus restoring the arterial flow and leading to a statistically significant result. In addition, a low complication rate (4.85%) was found, with ischemic stroke being the main complication (1.94%). Conclusion This device can be an effective option in the treatment of internal carotid aneurysms since the aneurysm occlusion rate is excellent with a low rate of complications.