Spontaneous Disappearance of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm: A Case Report

Spontaneous resolution or thrombosis of giant or ruptured intracranial aneurysms is occasionally reported. However, spontaneous resolution of unruptured aneurysms without any intervention is extremely rare. Recently, we encountered a case of spontaneous resolution of a small unruptured aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery. We describe this rare case and discuss the mechanism of resolution with a review of the related literature.

Abstract 1122‐000145: Impact of Age on Outcomes Following Endovascular vs Clipping of Ruptured and Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysms

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.

Abstract 1122‐000078: C‐Guard Stent for the Treatment of Cervical Internal Carotid Artery Aneurysms: Report of 2 Cases

Introduction : C‐Guard carotid stent is a self‐expandable open cell stent covered with a double‐layer mesh which was developed for the treatment of internal carotid artery disease. Lower procedural and complications rates, as well as lower post‐operative infarctions are some advantages of this device. Nevertheless, the use of C‐Guard in the treatment of cervical internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms is scarce. Therefore, we present two cases in which the C‐Guard stent achieved complete angiographic occlusion at follow‐up. Methods : We identified two cases in which the C‐Guard carotid stent was used to treat symptomatic cervical ICA aneurysms. Angiographic follow‐up was performed. Results : Case 1: 47‐yo female presented left‐sided motor deficit. CT showed ischemic areas in the right hemisphere and CTA demonstrated an unruptured aneurysm in the C1 segment of the right ICA. The patient started dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and clopidogrel. A 6mm x 40 mm C‐Guard carotid stent was deployed without complications. One‐year follow‐up CTA showed complete obliteration of the aneurysm with reconstruction of the ICA. Case 2: 38‐yo male presented decreased left visual acuity. CTA and DSA showed an unruptured aneurysm in the C1 segment of the ICA. The patient started DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel. A 7mm x 30 mm C‐Guard carotid stent was deployed without complications. Three‐month follow‐up DSA showed complete obliteration of the aneurysm with adequate filling of distal vessels. Conclusions : C‐Guard stent is a potential alternative to conventional carotid stents in the treatment of cervical ICA aneurysms with high obliteration rates at follow‐up.

Abstract 1122‐000087: Long‐Term Outcomes of Anterior Communicating Artery Aneurysm Treated with Coiling: Subset Analysis of SMART Registry

Introduction : The purpose of this study was to assess the long‐term clinical outcomes of anterior communicating artery (ACoA) aneurysm treated with coiling. Methods : Data on patients with an ACoA aneurysm were extracted from a prospective multicenter registry (SMART) that enrolled patients with intracranial aneurysms or other neurovascular abnormalities who underwent coiling. The primary effectiveness outcome was retreatment through follow‐up, and the primary safety outcome was procedural device‐related serious adverse events within 24 hours. Results : Of the 995 adults enrolled in the SMART registry, 230 had an ACoA aneurysm (Table). The average patient age was 59.1 years (SD 12.5), and 62.6% were female. A modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 2 was present in 89.6% of patients. Most aneurysms were small (93.9%) and saccular (87.8%). The aneurysm was wide necked in 57.7% of patients and was ruptured in 35.7%. Coiling was stent assisted in 39.1% of patients and balloon assisted in 14.8%. Retreatment through follow‐up occurred in 8.1% (15/185) of patients—6.8% (12/176) of patients with a small aneurysm, 33.3% (3/9) of patients with a large aneurysm, 4.0% (5/126) of patients with an unruptured aneurysm, 16.9% (10/59) of patients with a ruptured aneurysm, 9.9% (9/91) of patients with unassisted coiling, 5.6% (4/71) of patients with stent‐assisted coiling, and 7.4% (2/27) of patients with balloon‐assisted coiling. Procedural device‐related serious adverse events within 24 hours occurred in 5.2% of patients—5.1% (11/216) of patients with a small aneurysm, 7.1% (1/14) of patients with a large aneurysm, 6.1% (9/148) of patients with an unruptured aneurysm, 3.7% (3/82) of patients with a ruptured aneurysm, 3.6% (4/111) of patients with unassisted coiling, 5.6% (5/90) of patients with stent‐assisted coiling, and 11.8% (4/34) of patients with balloon‐assisted coiling. No deaths occurred within 24 hours of the procedure. At 1 year, 91.8% (167/182) of patients had a Raymond–Roy Occlusion Classification of Class I or II. From immediately after the procedure to 1 year, progressive occlusion was observed in 29.1% (53/182) of patients, and stable occlusion was observed in 56.6% (103/182) of patients. At 1 year, the all‐cause mortality rate was 4.3%, and at a 1‐year follow‐up, a modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 2 was present in 86.2% (112/130) of patients. Conclusions : Coiling of ACoA aneurysm was safe and had durable 1‐year results.

Sinus of Valsalva Rupture or VSD Shunt: Mystery Solved by Cardiac CT

Unruptured aneurysm of sinus of Valsalva is an asymptomatic pathology and diagnosed incidentally. This extremely rare anomaly can be associated with other congenital cardiac anomalies which can make the diagnosis and prognosis even more complex. We are reporting a case of a 12-year-old boy with progressive dyspnea and episodes of syncope. Multimodality imaging confirmed the diagnosis and paved the way for appropriate surgical treatment options.

Adapting the 5-factor modified frailty index for prediction of postprocedural outcome in patients with unruptured aneurysms

OBJECTIVE The 5-factor modified frailty index (mFI-5) is a practical tool that can be used to estimate frailty by measuring five accessible factors: functional status, history of diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and hypertension. The authors aimed to validate the utility of mFI-5 for predicting endovascular and microsurgical treatment outcomes in patients with unruptured aneurysms. METHODS A prospectively maintained database of consecutive patients with unruptured aneurysm who were treated with clip placement or endovascular therapy was used. Because patient age is an important predictor of treatment outcomes in patients with unruptured aneurysm, mFI-5 was supplemented with age to create the age-supplemented mFI-5 (AmFI-5). Associations of scores on these indices with major complications (symptomatic ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, or surgical site infection requiring reoperation) were evaluated. Validation was carried out with the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database (2006–2017). RESULTS The institutional database included 275 patients (88 underwent clip placement, and 187 underwent endovascular treatment). Multivariable analysis of the surgical cohort showed that major complication was significantly associated with mFI-5 (OR 2.0, p = 0.046) and AmFI-5 (OR 1.9, p = 0.028) scores. Significant predictive accuracy for major complications was provided by mFI-5 (c-statistic = 0.709, p = 0.011) and AmFI-5 (c-statistic = 0.720, p = 0.008). The American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification System (ASA) provided poor discrimination (area under the curve = 0.541, p = 0.618) that was significantly less than that of mFI-5 (p = 0.023) and AmFI-5 (p = 0.014). Optimal relative fit was achieved with AmFI-5, which had the lowest Akaike information criterion value. Similar results were obtained after equivalent analysis of the endovascular cohort, with additional significant associations between index scores and length of stay (β = 0.6 and p = 0.009 for mFI-5; β = 0.5 and p = 0.003 for AmFI-5). In 1047 patients who underwent clip placement and were included in the NSQIP database, mFI-5 (p = 0.001) and AmFI-5 (p < 0.001) scores were significantly associated with severe postoperative adverse events and provided greater discrimination (c-statistic = 0.600 and p < 0.001 for mFI-5; c-statistic = 0.610 and p < 0.001 for AmFI-5) than ASA score (c-statistic = 0.580 and p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS mFI-5 and AmFI-5 represent potential predictors of procedure-related complications in unruptured aneurysm patients. After further validation, integration of these tools into clinical workflows may optimize patients for intervention.