Endovascular Management of Hemorrhagic Stroke

Significant advances in endovascular neurosurgery tools, devices, and techniques are changing the approach to the management of acute hemorrhagic stroke. The endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms emerged in the early 1990s with Guglielmi detachable coils, and since then, it gained rapid popularity that surpassed open surgery. Stent-assisted coiling and balloon remodeling techniques have made the treatment of wide-necked aneurysms more durable. With the introduction of flow diverters and flow disrupters, many aneurysms with complex geometrics can now be reliably managed. Arteriovenous malformations and fistulae can also benefit from endovascular therapy by embolization using n-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA), Onyx, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and coils. In this article, we describe the role of endovascular treatment for the most common causes of intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhages, particularly ruptured aneurysms and vascular malformations.

Abstract 1122‐000152: Flow Diverter Use in Acutely Presented Dissecting Aneurysms, 2 Years Follow Up of 53 Cases

Introduction : Acute dissecting aneurysms are among the uncommon causes of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Established endovascular treatment options include parent artery occlusion and stent‐assisted coiling, but appear to be associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke. reconstruction of the vessels with flow diverters is an alternative therapeutic option. Methods : This is a retrospective analysis of 53 consecutive acutely ruptured dissecting aneurysms treated with flow diverters. The primary end point was favorable aneurysm occlusion, defined as OKM C1‐3 and D . Secondary end points were procedure‐related complications and clinical outcome. Results : 23 aneurysms (43.4%%) arose from the intradural portion of the vertebral artery, 10 (18.8%) were located on the posterior inferior cerebellar artery and 3 (5.6%) posterior cerebral artery, 7 (13.2%) MCA, (18.8%) ICA . 45 aneurysms presented by SAH while 8 presented by Ischemic manifestation. Flow diverter placement was technically successful in all cases . immediate postoperative rerupture occurred in two case (3.7%), thromboembolic complications in 3 cases (5.7%). Median clinical follow‐up was 640 days and median angiographic follow‐up was 690 days. ten patients (18.9%) with poor‐grade subarachnoid hemorrhage died in the acute phase. Favorable clinical outcome (modified Rankin scale ≤2) was observed in 27 of 53 patients (51%) and a moderate outcome (modified Rankin scale 3/4) was observed in 12 of 53 patients (22.6%). All aneurysms showed complete occlusion at follow‐up. Conclusions : Flow diverters might be a feasible, alternative treatment option for acutely symptomatic dissecting aneurysms and may effectively prevent rebleeding in ruptured aneurysms.

Abstract 1122‐000071: Large and Giant Intracranial Aneurysms, Clinico‐Radiological Outcome and Predictors with Flow Diverter Stent

Introduction : Endovascular treatment for large and giant aneurysms has included either a reconstructive approach or a deconstructive approach by parent artery occlusion. 1,2 Stent‐assisted coiling and balloon‐assisted coiling were alternative techniques developed to deal with such complex aneurysms, but studies have shown less expected efficacy. This study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of the flow diverter stents for treating large and giant intracranial aneurysms and to examine possible predictors for radiological and clinical outcomes such as location and presence of branching artery, bifurcation, and adjuvant coiling. Methods : This study had been conducted on 65 consecutive patients with 65 large and giant aneurysms (size ≥ 10 mm) treated with flow diverters; Periprocedural complications were reported in all patients and clinical outcomes. Follow‐up angiography was done for 60 patients (92.3%) at 12 months. Results : The study included 65 patients who harbored 65 aneurysms. The median age was 55.5 years (IQR: 44.25 ‐ 62.75 years), the female represented 70.8 % of all patients. The clinical presentation had been reported (Headache, cranial nerve palsy, motor deficit, seizures, and visual field defect in 40 patients (61.5%), nine patients (13.8%), seven patients (10.8%), five patients (7.7%), and four patients (6.2%) respectively. The vascular risk factors had been reviewed (HTN, DM, smoking, and Hyperlipidemia in 25 patients (9.2%), Six patients (9.2%), sixteen (24.6%), and 10 patients (15.4%) respectively). The median size of aneurysms was 16.4 mm (IQR: 12.50 ‐ 23.85 mm) and the median neck width was 7.15 mm (IQR: 5.85‐10.24 mm). Fourteen aneurysms (21.4 %) had previous treatment, eleven aneurysms (16.9%) were treated by coils only, one case (1.5%) by assisted procedure, one case (1.5%) by previous FDS, and parent artery occlusion in one case (1.5%). Complete occlusion in 50 from 60 aneurysms (83.4%), neck remnant in 8 aneurysms (13.3%), and sac remnant in two aneurysms (3.3%). Periprocedural problems were encountered in 14 patients (21.5%) with morbidity in six patients (9.2%) and mortality in one patient (1.5%). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to discover possible predictors of combined mortality and morbidity and occlusion in Table (1). Conclusions : From this study, it could be concluded that Endovascular treatment of the large and giant aneurysms with flow diverters represents a safe method for treating this kind of complex intracranial aneurysms. Complex aneurysms with branching artery and bifurcation were associated with aneurysm persistence and complications respectively while the location of the aneurysm was the only predictor for clinical outcome.

Abstract 1122‐000103: FlowDiverter:A Study Safety and Efficacy in a Consecutive Group of 53 Patient and 60 Aneurysm

Introduction : Endovascular flow diverters are increasingly used for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms. We assessed the safety and efficacy of the Flow Diverters in a consecutive series of 53 patients and 60 aneurysms. Methods : Inclusion criteria were wide‐neck, blister‐like, or fusiform aneurysms independent of size, treated with the FRED, PIPELINE and SILK between December 2014 and Junho 2021. Assessment criteria were aneurysm occlusion, manifest ischemic stroke, bleeding, or death. The occlusion rate was assessed at 6 months and 1 year with DSA by using the Raymond classification and the O'Kelly‐Marotta grading scale. Results : Fifty three patients (mean age 54.3 years;81.1% female) with 60 aneurysms were treated with 9 Silk, 38 FREDs and 13 Pipeline. Aneurysm size ranged from 2.5 to 30 mm. Deployment of the Flow diverters was successful in 52 aneurysms. Three patient developed mild stroke symptoms that fully receded within days, 4 patients occlusion total carotid because resistant antiagregation and another patient’s development Swelling syndrome. There has been one death. Initial follow‐up at 6 months showed complete occlusion in 90% of the overall study group and 93,33% at 1 year. Conclusions : The flow diverter is a safe device for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms of various types. Our data reveal high occlusion rates at 6 months and 1 year. Long‐term occlusion rates are expected.

Abstract 1122‐000056: Trends in the Endovascular Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms in a Single Institution During 10 Years

Introduction : Endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms has increased compared to microsurgery since the creation of the Guglielmi Detachable Coils (GDC), and is the treatment of choice in several centers worldwide. Our study aimed to analyze the trends over time of number of patients, number of aneurysms, rupture status, location, size and endovascular technique employed in a retrospective cohort of consecutive intracranial aneurysms treated during a 10‐year period. Methods : Data extracted from clinical records, surgical reports, angiographies and CT scans of 765 consecutive patients who underwent endovascular treatment of 845 intracranial aneurysms at our institution between January 2010 and December 2020 was carried out. The Mann‐Kendal test was used to assess time trends. The moving average technique was also employed, using one lagged observation, the current observation and one forward observation in order to create smoother curves. The statistical software Stata v14.0 (StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA) was used. Results : We evaluated 765 patients who underwent 845 endovascular treatments of intracranial aneurysms. Women represented 81% of the cohort. Mean age was 53.9 ± 14.6 years. We identified a significant increase in the number of patients (p = 0.016; p for moving average = 0.005) and in the number of aneurysms over time (p = 0.003; p for moving average = 0.003). For ruptured aneurysms, we did not find changes in the trends over time (p = 0.117; p for moving average = 0.1), whereas in the case of unruptured aneurysms, we identified a significant increase in their treatment (p = 0.029; p for moving average = 0.001). Posterior communicating (p = 0.042: p for moving average = 0.002), paraclinoid (p = 0.06; p for moving average = 0.019) and posterior fossa aneurysms (p = 0.813; p for moving average = 0.028) increased their frequency of treatment over time. Anterior communicating (p = 0.235; p for moving average = 0.21), middle cerebral artery (p = 0.431; p for moving average = 0.347) and internal carotid artery aneurysms (p = 1; p for moving average = 0.754) did not show differences over time. We did not identify changes over time in large (p = 0.31; p for moving average = 0.213), as well as width (p = 0.35; p for moving average = 0.876) and neck diameter (p = 1; p for moving average = 0.815). Balloon‐assisted coiling (p = 0.01; p for moving average = 0.003), flow diverters (p = 0.016; p for moving average < 0.001) and stent‐assisted coiling (p = 0.531; p for moving average = 0.014) showed a positive trend over time. Simple coiling (p = 0.75; p for moving average = 0.184) did not show significant variations over time. Conclusions : We identified a positive trend in the endovascular treatment of unruptured aneurysms, as well as posterior communicating artery, paraclinoid and posterior fossa aneurysms. Assisted‐coiling techniques and flow diverters also showed a positive trend over time. These results are in accordance with the increasing trends in endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms worldwide.

Predictors of incomplete aneurysm occlusion after treatment with the Pipeline Embolization Device: PREMIER trial 1 year analysis

BackgroundFlow diverters have revolutionized the treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Nevertheless, some aneurysms fail to occlude with flow diversion. The Prospective Study on Embolization of Intracranial Aneurysms with the Pipeline Device (PREMIER) was a prospective, multicenter and single-arm trial of small and medium wide-necked unruptured aneurysms. In the current study, we evaluate the predictors of treatment failure in the PREMIER cohort.MethodsWe analyzed PREMIER patients who had incomplete occlusion (Raymond-Roy >1) at 1 year angiographic follow-up and compared them with those who achieved Raymond-Roy 1, aiming to identify predictors of treatment failure.Results25 aneurysms demonstrated incomplete occlusion at 1 year. There was a median reduction of 0.9 mm (IQR 0.41–2.43) in maximum diameter between pre-procedure and 1 year measurements, with no aneurysmal hemorrhage. Patients with incomplete occlusion were significantly older than those with complete occlusion (p=0.011). Smoking (p=0.045) and C6 segment location (p=0.005) were significantly associated with complete occlusion, while location at V4 (p=0.01) and C7 (p=0.007) and involvement of a side branch (p<0.001) were significantly associated with incomplete occlusion. In multivariable logistic regression, significant predictors of incomplete occlusion were non-smoker status (adjusted OR 4.49, 95% CI 1.11 to 18.09; p=0.03) and side branch involvement (adjusted OR 11.68, 95% CI 3.84 to 35.50; p<0.0001), while C6 location had reduced odds of incomplete occlusion (adjusted OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.84; p=0.02).ConclusionsThe results of our study are consistent with previous retrospective series and warrant consideration for technique adaptations to achieve higher occlusion rates. Further follow-up is needed to assess progression of aneurysm occlusion and clinical behavior in these cases.

Hemodynamic Investigation of the Effectiveness of a Two Overlapping Flow Diverter Configuration for Cerebral Aneurysm Treatment

Flow diverters (FDs) are widely employed as endovascular treatment devices for large or wide-neck cerebral aneurysms. Occasionally, overlapped FDs are deployed to enhance the flow diversion effect. In this study, we investigated the hemodynamics of overlapping FDs via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. We reproduced the arterial geometry of a patient who had experienced the deployment of two overlapping FDs. We utilized two stent patterns, namely the patterns for one FD and two overlapping FDs. We calculated the velocity, mass flow rate, wall shear stress, and pressure loss coefficient as well as their change rates for each pattern relative to the no-FD pattern results. The CFD simulation results indicated that the characteristics of the blood flow inside the aneurysm were minimally affected by the deployment of a single FD; in contrast, the overlapping FD pattern results revealed significant changes in the flow. Further, the velocity at an inspection plane within the aneurysm sac decreased by up to 92.2% and 31.0% in the cases of the overlapping and single FD patterns, respectively, relative to the no-FD pattern. The simulations successfully reproduced the hemodynamics, and the qualitative and quantitative investigations are meaningful with regard to the clinical outcomes of overlapped FD deployment.

Successful management of bilateral internal carotid artery fusiform giant aneurysms in a patient with intimal fibroplasia using multiple flow diverters: With long-term imaging follow up

The authors report a rare case of sequentially developed bilateral internal carotid artery (ICA) fusiform giant aneurysms in a patient with pathologically confirmed intimal fibroplasia. Both ICA fusiform aneurysms were treated with multiple flow diverter insertion and were well-managed over the past 5.5 years of follow-up. The development of aneurysms in this rare disease entity appears to be a lifelong process based on the authors’ observations in serial angiographic follow-up studies. Reconstruction therapy using flow-diverting stents in this unique condition may be a safe and effective treatment modality.