Introduction
: Age is an important determinant of outcome in patients with unruptured or ruptured cerebral aneurysms. Advancements in endovascular therapies have significantly impacted patient selection and treatment of patients with cerebral aneurysm. Recent release of the National claims data for 2017–2018 provides the opportunity to explore novel population‐level outcomes following clipping vs endovascular treatment of ruptured and unruptured cerebral aneurysms in different age groups.
Methods
: Analysis of US National Inpatient Sample of hospitalizations with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) or unruptured aneurysms treated with clipping or endovascular therapy from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2018. Pre‐defined age strata included: younger than 50 years; 50–64 years; 65–79 years; and 80 years or older. Primary outcomes included in‐hospital mortality and favorable outcome defined as discharge to home.
Results
: Overall, 34,955 hospitalizations with unruptured aneurysm treatment, (26,695 endovascular and 8,260 surgical clipping), and 17,525 hospitalizations with aSAH were identified in the study period. In unruptured aneurysm group, endovascular therapy was associated with significantly higher favorable outcome across all age groups, and lower mortality in those 65 years or older (all P<0.001) when compared to clipping. Median hospital length‐of‐stay was 1 day (IQR 1–4) in endovascular vs 4 days (IQR 3–8) in clipping group (P<0.001). In aSAH group, endovascular therapy was associated with higher favorable outcome in 50–80 years age groups when compared to clipping, with no significant differences for in‐hospital mortality outcome (Table). Significantly more favorable outcomes were achieved with coiling vs clipping in those aged 65 or above with unruptured aneurysms.
Conclusions
: In 2017–2018 in US, unruptured aneurysm patients treated with endovascular therapy had significantly lower morbidity and mortality compared to those treated with surgical clipping, and differences were more pronounced with age. Similar but less strong association was observed in patients with aSAH.
Issues in Management of Small Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysms from the Physician's Viewpoint