Combined open revascularization and endovascular treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms: case series

Introduction The Woven EndoBridge Intrasaccular Therapy (WEB-IT) Study is a pivotal, prospective, single-arm, investigational device exemption study designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the WEB device for the treatment of wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms. Methods One-hundred and fifty patients with wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms were enrolled at 21 US and six international centers. Angiograms from the index procedure, and 6-month and 1-year follow-up visits were all reviewed by a core laboratory. All adverse events were reviewed and adjudicated by a clinical events adjudicator. A data monitoring committee provided oversight during the trial to ensure subject safety. Results One-hundred and forty-eight patients received the WEB implant. One (0.7%) primary safety event occurred during the study—a delayed ipsilateral parenchymal hemorrhage—on postoperative day 22. No primary safety events occurred after 30 days through 1 year. At the 12-month angiographic follow-up, 77/143 patients (53.8%) had complete aneurysm occlusion. Adequate occlusion was achieved in 121/143 (84.6%) subjects. Conclusions The prespecified safety and effectiveness endpoints for the aneurysms studied in the WEB-IT trial were met. The results of this trial suggest that the WEB device provides an option for patients with wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms that is as effective as currently available therapies and markedly safer. Trial registration number NCT02191618

Background The Pipeline Embolisation Device with Shield technology (PED-Shield) is suggested to have reduced thrombogenicity. This reduced thrombogenicity may make it possible to use safely in the acute treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) on single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT). Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the off-label use of PED-Shield with SAPT for the acute treatment of aSAH. Methods Patients who underwent acute treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms with the PED-Shield with SAPT were retrospectively identified from prospectively maintained databases at three Australian neurointerventional centres. Patient demographics, aneurysm characteristics, clinical and imaging outcomes were reviewed. Results Fourteen patients were identified (12 women), median age 64 (IQR 21.5) years. Aneurysm morphology was saccular in seven, fusiform in five, and blister in two. Aneurysms arose from the anterior circulation in eight patients (57.1%). Six (42.9%) patients were poor grade (World Federation of Neurological Societies grade ≥IV) SAH. Median time to treatment was 1 (IQR 0.5) day. Complete or near complete aneurysm occlusion (Raymond-Roy <3) was achieved in 12 (85.7%) patients at the end of early-acute follow-up (median day 7 after SAH). Permanent, treatment-related morbidity occurred in one (7.1%) patient and one (7.1%) treatment-related death occurred. The use of a postoperative heparin infusion (n=5) was associated with a higher rate of all complications (80.0% vs 11.1%, p=0.023) and symptomatic complications (60% vs 0.0%, p=0.028). No symptomatic ischaemic or haemorrhagic complications were observed in the patients who did not receive a post-operative heparin infusion. Nine (64.3%) patients were functionally independent on discharge from the treatment centre. Conclusion The PED-Shield may be safe to use in the acute treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms with SAPT. Further investigation with a formal treatment registry is needed.

The authors present a retrospective analysis of their experience in the treatment of vertebral artery (VA) dissecting aneurysms and propose a management strategy for such aneurysms, with special emphasis on the most formidable VA dissecting aneurysms, which involve the origin of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). Since 1998, 18 patients with VA dissecting aneurysms, 11 of whom presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), have been treated by endovascular surgery at the authors' institution. Obliteration of the entire segment of the dissected site with coils (internal trapping) was performed for aneurysms without involvement of the origin of the PICA (12 cases; among these the treatment-related morbidity rate was 16.7%). The treatment strategy applied to PICA-involved VA dissecting aneurysms presenting with SAH (three cases) included proximal occlusion of the parent artery followed by internal trapping of the aneurysm (one case), proximal occlusion of the parent artery followed by occipital artery (OA)-PICA bypass (one case), and two-staged internal trapping of the aneurysm involving double PICAs (one case). For PICA-involved VA dissecting aneurysms that were not associated with SAH at presentation (three cases), OA-PICA bypass was performed and followed by internal trapping of the aneurysm (two cases). In the remaining case in which a fetal-type posterior communicating artery was present, internal trapping was performed following successful balloon test occlusion (BTO). Overall, there was no sign of infarction in the PICA territory, despite complete occlusion of aneurysms involving the PICA. There was no recurrent bleeding or ischemic symptoms during the follow-up periods. The overall treatment-related morbidity rate for the VA dissecting aneurysms involving the PICA was 16.7%. Dissecting VA aneurysms that do not involve the PICA can be safely treated by internal trapping. For those lesions that do involve the PICA, a decision-making algorithm is advocated to maximize the efficacy of the treatment as well as to minimize the risks of treatment-related morbidity based on BTO.