Ventriculostomy-Related Intracranial Hemorrhage Following Surgical and Endovascular Treatment of Ruptured Aneurysms

Introduction : Endovascular therapy of ruptured aneurysms is regularly accompanied by periprocedural heparinization and requires the use of periprocedural antiplatelets in more complex cases. This raises concerns regarding increased bleeding risks in the case of frequently required ventriculostomy. The aim of this study was to analyze risk factors for ventriculostomy-related intracranial hemorrhages (VS-ICH) in endovascular or surgical treatment of ruptured aneurysms with a focus on antithrombotic therapy. Materials and Methods In this retrospective analysis we included patients admitted to our institution over a 12-year period who had received at least one ventriculostomy due to subarachnoid hemorrhage-related hydrocephalus. Patients were dichotomized into an endovascular and surgical group and rates of VS-ICH were compared. Risk factors for VS-ICH were assessed in uni- and multivariate analyses. Results A total of 606 ventriculostomies were performed in 328 patients. Within the endovascular group, antiplatelet therapy was used in 44.8% of cases. The overall rate of ventriculostomy-related intracranial hemorrhage was 13.1%. Endovascular treatment was associated with a higher rate of VS-ICH compared to surgical treatment (p=0.011), but not in cases without antiplatelet therapy (p=0.166). Application of any antiplatelet therapy (odds ratio, 2.647 [95% confidence interval, 1.141-6.143]) and number of ventriculostomies (odds ratio, 2.513 [95% confidence interval, 1.859-3.395]) were independent predictors of ventriculostomy-related hemorrhages. Discussion Our findings indicate an increased risk of VS-ICH in the endovascular group if administration of antiplatelets was required. While this aspect has to be included into treatment decision making, it must be weighed against the benefits of endovascular techniques.

Safety and Efficacy of Endovascular Embolization of Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms within 72 hours of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Purpose The purpose of the study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of endovascular embolization of ruptured intracranial aneurysms within 72 hours of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Materials and methods Patients with intracranial aneurysms treated with embolization were divided into group A (n = 277), patients with ruptured aneurysms treated within 72 hours of SAH; group B (n = 138), patients with ruptured aneurysms treated beyond 72 hours; and group C (n = 93), patients with unruptured aneurysms. Results Embolization was successful in all but four patients (99.2%). The periprocedural complication rate was 36.2% in group B, significantly (p < 0.05) greater than that in group A (24.5%) or group C (11.8%). The rebleeding rate was 9.7% (6/62 patients) in groups A and B after embolization and only 0.3% (1/346 patients) in aneurysms with total or subtotal occlusion. Of these three groups of patients, 69.7% in group A, 58.7% in group B, and 76.3% in group C achieved Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score of 5 or modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0– to 1 at discharge. A significant difference (p < 0.05) existed in the clinical outcome between the three groups. The percentages of patients without deficits (GOS 5 or mRS 0–1) and slight disability (mRS 2) were 80.2% in group A, 81.2% in group B, and 96.7% in group C. The mortality rate was 4.3% (12/277 patients) in group A and 7.2% (10/138 patients) in group B with no significant (p = 0.21) difference. Follow-up was performed at 3 to 54 months (mean 23.2), and the recanalization rate was 28.6% (32/112 patients) in group A, 22.4% (11/49 patients) in group B, and 28.6% (16/56 patients) in group C, with no significant differences (p = 0.15). Hydrocephalus occurred in 30.5% (39/128 patients) in group B, which was significantly (p < 0.01) greater than that in group A (9.4%) or group C (2.2%). Conclusion Early embolization of ruptured cerebral aneurysms within 72 hours of rupture is safe and effective and can significantly decrease periprocedural complications compared with management beyond 72 hours. Timely management of cisternal and ventricular blood can reduce hydrocephalus incidence and improve prognosis.

Endovascular therapy for posterior communicating artery-infundibular dilatation aneurysms

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of endovascular therapy on posterior communicating artery-infundibular dilatation aneurysms. Methods: A total of 15 patients with ruptured aneurysms caused by posterior communicating artery-infundibular dilatation who were treated in our neurosurgical center from January 2015 to December 2018were included in this study. They were performed with bilateral internal carotid angiography and vertebral angiography and treated with endovascular method. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used for clinical follow-up for 18 months. Results: There were 10 patients in the posterior communicating artery-infundibular dilatation aneurysms with non-fetal posterior cerebral artery. Among them, 8 patients were treated with coil-alone embolization. Immediate imaging showed infundibular dilation residual in 6 cases and no contrast filling in either infundibular dilation or aneurysm in 2 case. Another 2 were treated with stent-assisted coiling embolization, and immediate imaging showed no contrast filling. Of the 5 patients in posterior communicating artery-infundibular dilatation aneurysms with fetal posterior cerebral artery, 4 were only coiled in the aneurysm sack with contrast filling in infundibular cones, and 2 were treated with stent assisted coiling. Among the 10 patients with non-fetal posterior cerebral artery, 3 showed recurrence, 4 showed stable images, 2 were also stable with no contrast filling in infundibular dilation or aneurysm and 1 was lost to follow-up. Among the 5 patients with fetal posterior cerebral artery, 1 showed stable images, 3 showed recurrence and 1 was lost to follow-up. Conclusions: For posterior communicating artery-infundibular dilatation aneurysms with non-fetal posterior cerebral artery, stent-assisted coiling of aneurysm embolization combined with occlusion of cones is effective to prevent or reduce recurrence.

Intraoperative motor and somatosensory evoked potential monitoring during surgical clipping of ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms: a comparative study

OBJECTIVE The current study investigated the correlation between intraoperative motor evoked potential (MEP) and somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) monitoring and both short-term and long-term motor outcomes in aneurysm patients treated with surgical clipping. Moreover, the authors provide a relatively optimal neurophysiological predictor of postoperative motor deficits (PMDs) in patients with ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. METHODS A total of 1017 patients (216 with ruptured aneurysms and 801 with unruptured aneurysms) were included. Patient demographic characteristics, clinical features, intraoperative monitoring data, and follow-up data were retrospectively reviewed. The efficacy of using changes in MEP/SSEP to predict PMDs was assessed using binary logistic regression analysis. Subsequently, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the optimal critical value for duration of MEP/SSEP deterioration. RESULTS Both intraoperative MEP and SSEP monitoring were significantly effective for predicting short-term (p < 0.001 for both) and long-term (p < 0.001 for both) PMDs in aneurysm patients. The critical values for predicting short-term PMDs were amplitude decrease rates of 57.30% for MEP (p < 0.001 and area under the curve [AUC] 0.732) and 64.10% for SSEP (p < 0.001 and AUC 0.653). In patients with an unruptured aneurysm, the optimal critical values for predicting short-term PMDs were durations of deterioration of 17 minutes for MEP (p < 0.001 and AUC 0.768) and 21 minutes for SSEP (p < 0.001 and AUC 0.843). In patients with a ruptured aneurysm, the optimal critical values for predicting short-term PMDs were durations of deterioration of 12.5 minutes for MEP (p = 0.028 and AUC 0.706) and 11 minutes for SSEP (p = 0.043 and AUC 0.813). CONCLUSIONS The authors found that both intraoperative MEP and SSEP monitoring are useful for predicting short-term and long-term PMDs in patients with unruptured and ruptured aneurysms. The optimal intraoperative neuromonitoring method for predicting PMDs varies depending on whether the aneurysm has ruptured or not.

Abstract 1122‐000195: Endovascular Coiling Versus Neurosurgical Clipping for Treatment of Ruptured and Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms During Pregnancy

Introduction : Management of intracranial aneurysms during pregnancy is challenging. The hemodynamic changes during pregnancy increase the risk of intracranial aneurysm rupture. Further, the selection of an appropriate surgical strategy requires a careful review of the potential risks to the mother and fetus. Yet, there is limited data to guide the treatment decisions in this patient population. In this study, we aimed to compare the safety profiles of endovascular coiling (EC) and neurosurgical clipping (NC) in this patient population. Methods : Pregnancy‐related hospitalizations with age≥18 years undergoing surgical intervention for intracranial aneurysms were identified from the Nationwide Readmissions Database 2016–2018. Hospitalizations with diagnoses of arteriovenous malformation, cerebral arteritis, and traumatic SAH were excluded. Logistic regression analysis was used to compare outcomes between EC and NC. Results : There were 11829044 pregnancy‐related hospitalizations, of which 348 met the study inclusion criteria (mean±SD age: 31.8±5.9). Among 168 patients treated for ruptured aneurysms, 115 (68.5%) underwent EC and 53 (31.5%) underwent NC. Whereas among 180 patients treated for unruptured aneurysms, 140 (77.8%) underwent EC and 40 (22.2%) underwent NC. There were no statistically significant differences in the demographics, clinical presentation, and hospital‐level characteristics between patients undergoing EC versus NC for either ruptured or unruptured aneurysm groups. Among patients with ruptured aneurysms, 11.9% patients had perioperative ischemic stroke, 22.6% patients required mechanical ventilation for >24 hours, 6.5% patients underwent tracheostomy, 6.5% patients had acute kidney injury, 20.2% patients had infectious complications, 4.2% patients underwent gastrostomy tube placement, 30.0% patients had discharge disposition other than to home, 10.1% patients had in‐hospital mortality, and 4.8% patients had non‐elective readmission within 30 days of discharge. These outcomes were comparable between patients with EC and NC, except patients undergoing EC were less likely to develop ischemic stroke [odds ratio (OR): 0.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.05‐0.98] (Figure 1A). None of the 30‐day readmissions were due to procedural complications and a majority (75%) of them were due to pregnancy‐related conditions. Among patients with unruptured aneurysms, 5.6% patients had perioperative ischemic stroke, 5.0% patients required mechanical ventilation for >24 hours, 6.1% patients had infectious complications, 11.1% patients had discharge disposition other than to home, 0.01% patient had in‐hospital mortality, and 0.01% patient had non‐elective readmission within 30 days of discharge. There were no significant differences in these outcomes or in the average length of hospital stay among patients undergoing EC versus NC for unruptured aneurysms (Figure 1B). Conclusions : Surgical treatment of intracranial aneurysms during pregnancy is safe with a relatively low rate of early complications. While a majority of patients undergo EC, we found that the safety profiles of NC and EC are largely comparable. Future large studies are needed to further evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of these procedures in detail in this patient population.

Abstract 1122‐000115: Coiling of Wide‐Necked Ruptured Aneurysms: A Subset Analysis of the SMART Registry

Introduction : The purpose of this study was to assess the 1‐year clinical outcomes of wide‐necked ruptured aneurysms treated with coiling. Methods : Data on patients with a wide‐necked ruptured aneurysm were extracted from a prospective multicenter registry (SMART) that enrolled patients with intracranial aneurysm or other neurovascular abnormality who underwent coiling. A wide neck was defined as a neck width of at least 4 mm or as a dome‐to‐neck ratio (largest diameter / neck width) of less than 2. Enrollment was not limited by Hunt and Hess grade. The primary safety outcome was device‐related serious adverse events within 24 hours, and the primary effectiveness outcome was retreatment through follow‐up. Results : Of the 995 adults enrolled in the SMART registry, 144 had a wide‐necked ruptured aneurysm (Table). Average patient age was 59.3 years (SD 14.3), and 74.3% were female. Lesion locations were internal carotid artery, 31.3%; anterior communicating artery, 31.9%; middle communicating artery, 10.4%; and posterior circulation, 26.4%. Aneurysm sizes were small, 27.1%; medium, 54.2%; large, 18.1%; and giant, 0.7%. The most common aneurysm type was saccular (88.8%, 127/143). Coiling was stent assisted in 10.4% of patients and balloon assisted in 36.1% of patients. The rate of device‐related serious adverse events within 24 hours was 3.5%. The rate of retreatment through follow‐up was 20.6% (20/97). At 1 year, 82.6% (76/92) of patients had a Raymond–Roy Occlusion Classification of I or II, 32.6% (30/92) had progressive occlusion, and 46.7% (43/92) had stable occlusion. The 1‐year all‐cause mortality rate was 12.5%. At 1‐year follow‐up, 58.3% (42/72) of patients had a modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 2. Conclusions : Treatment of wide‐necked ruptured aneurysms with coiling has acceptable occlusion and retreatment rates at 1‐year follow‐up.

Endovascular Therapy Versus Microsurgical Clipping of Ruptured Wide Neck Aneurysms (EVERRUN Registry): a multicenter, prospective propensity score analysis

OBJECTIVE Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the superiority of endovascular therapy (EVT) compared to microsurgery (MS) for ruptured aneurysms suitable for treatment or when therapy is broadly offered to all presenting aneurysms; however, wide neck aneurysms (WNAs) are a challenging subset that require more advanced techniques and warrant further investigation. Herein, the authors sought to investigate a prospective, multicenter WNA registry using rigorous outcome assessments and compare EVT and MS using propensity score analysis (PSA). METHODS Untreated, ruptured, saccular WNAs were included in the analysis. A WNA was defined as having a neck ≥ 4 mm or a dome/neck ratio (DNR) < 2. The primary outcome was the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 1 year posttreatment, as assessed by blinded research nurses (good outcome: mRS scores 0–2) and compared using PSA. RESULTS The analysis included 87 ruptured aneurysms: 55 in the EVT cohort and 32 in the MS cohort. Demographics were similar in the two cohorts, including Hunt and Hess grade (p = 0.144) and modified Fisher grade (p = 0.475). WNA type inclusion criteria were similar in the two cohorts, with the most common type having a DNR < 2 (EVT 60.0% vs MS 62.5%). More anterior communicating artery aneurysms (27.3% vs 18.8%) and posterior circulation aneurysms (18.2% vs 0.0%) were treated with EVT, whereas more middle cerebral artery aneurysms were treated with MS (34.4% vs 18.2%, p = 0.025). Within the EVT cohort, 43.6% underwent stand-alone coiling, 50.9% balloon-assisted coiling, 3.6% stent-assisted coiling, and 1.8% flow diversion. The 1-year mRS score was assessed in 81 patients (93.1%), and the primary outcome demonstrated no increased risk for a poor outcome with MS compared to EVT (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.13–1.45, p = 0.177). The durability of MS was higher, as evidenced by retreatment rates of 12.7% and 0% for EVT and MS, respectively (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS EVT and MS had similar clinical outcomes at 1 year following ruptured WNA treatment. Because of their challenging anatomy, WNAs may represent a population in which EVT’s previously demonstrated superiority for ruptured aneurysm treatment is less relevant. Further investigation into the treatment of ruptured WNAs is warranted.

Horizontal Stenting via Retrograde Route for Recurrent Ruptured Posterior Communicating Artery Aneurysm after Clipping: A Case Report and Literature Review

Treatment of recurrent ruptured aneurysms incorporating a branch vessel arising from the dome is challenging. Here, we attempted horizontal stent-assisted coil embolisation via a retrograde route from the contralateral internal carotid artery to treat a small ruptured posterior communicating artery aneurysm incorporating a foetal variant posterior cerebral artery after clipping.

Use of Distal Intracranial Catheters for Better Working View of Cerebral Aneurysms Hidden by Parent Artery or Its Branches: A Technical Note

A good working view is critical for safe and successful endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms. In a few cases, endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms may be challenging due to difficulty in obtaining a proper working view. In this report of 6 cases, we described the advantage of using a distal intracranial catheter (DIC) to achieve better visualization of cerebral aneurysms hidden by a parent artery or its branches. Between September 2017 and January 2021, we treated 390 aneurysms with endovascular techniques. In 6 cases in which it was difficult to obtain a proper working view, the DIC was placed distally close to the aneurysm in order to remove the parent artery projection from the working view and obtain better visualization of the aneurysm. Clinical and procedural outcomes and complications were evaluated. The position of the DIC was above the internal carotid artery siphon in the 6 cases. All aneurysms were successfully embolized. Raymond–Roy class 1 occlusion was achieved in all 4 unruptured aneurysms, while the result was class 2 in the 2 ruptured aneurysms. Placement of the DIC was atraumatic without dissections or significant catheter-induced vasospasm in all patients. Transient dysphasia was seen in 2 cases and transient aphasia in 1. Using this technique, we have found it possible to better visualize the aneurysm sac or neck and thereby treat cases we otherwise would have considered untreatable.