Endovascular treatment of cerebral artery aneurysms during pregnancy: Report of three cases

Historically, surgical management of cerebral aneurysms during pregnancy has been controversial. Debate originally focused on early versus late intervention, before or after delivery of the fetus. More recently, treatment has centered on rapid intervention. We describe the endovascular treatment of cerebral artery aneurysms with Guglielmi detachable coils in three pregnant women

ORIGINAL RESEARCH Safety of the Pipeline Embolization Device in Treatment of Posterior Circulation Aneurysms

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The published results of treating internal carotid artery aneurysms with the PED do not necessarily apply to its use in the posterior circulation because disabling brain stem infarcts can be caused by occlusion of a single perforator. In this multicenter study, we assessed the safety of PED placement in the posterior circulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective case registry was maintained of all posterior circulation aneurysms treated with PEDs at 3 Australian neurointerventional centers during a 27-month period. The objective was to assess the complications and aneurysm occlusion rates associated with posterior circulation PEDs. RESULTS: Thirty-two posterior circulation aneurysms were treated in 32 patients. No deaths or poor neurologic outcomes occurred. Perforator territory infarctions occurred in 3 (14%) of the 21 patients with basilar artery aneurysms, and in all 3, a single PED was used. Two asymptomatic intracranial hematomas were recorded. No aneurysm rupture or PED thrombosis was encountered. The overall rate of permanent neurologic complications was 9.4 % (3/32); all 3 patients had very mild residual symptoms and a good clinical outcome. Aneurysm occlusion was demonstrated in 85 % of patients with 6 months of follow-up and 96 % of patients with 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The PED is effective in the treatment of posterior circulation aneurysms that are otherwise difficult or impossible to treat with standard endovascular or surgical techniques, and its safety is similar to that of stent-assisted coiling techniques. A higher clinical perforator infarction rate may be associated with basilar artery PEDs relative to the internal carotid artery

Endovascular Treatment Using Predominantly Stent-Assisted Coil Embolization and Antiplatelet and Anticoagulation Management of Ruptured Blood Blister-Like Aneurysms.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: BBA is a rare type of intracranial aneurysm that is difficult to treat both surgically and endovascularly and is often associated with a high degree of morbidity/mortality. The aim of this study was to present clinical and angiographic results, as well as antiplatelet/anticoagulation regimens, of endovascular BBA treatment by using predominantly stent-assisted coil embolization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen patients (men/women, 6/7; mean age, 49.3 years) with ruptured BBAs were included from 2 different institutions. Angiographic findings, treatment strategies, anticoagulation/antiplatelet protocols, and clinical (mRS) and angiographic outcome were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Eleven BBAs were located in the supraclinoid ICA, and 2 on the basilar artery trunk. Nine of 13 were ≤3 mm in the largest diameter, and 8/13 showed early growth before treatment. Primary stent-assisted coiling was performed in 11/13 patients, double stents and PAO in 1 patient, each. Early complementary treatment was required in 3 patients, including PAO in 2. In stent-placement procedures, altered periprocedural antiplatelet (11/12) and postprocedural heparin (6/12) protocols were used without evidence of thromboembolic events. Two patients had early rehemorrhage, including 1 major fatal SAH. Twelve of 13 BBAs showed complete or progressive occlusion at late angiographic follow-up. Clinical midterm outcome was good (mRS scores, 0-2) in 12/13 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Stent-assisted coiling of ruptured BBAs is technically challenging but can be done with good midterm results. Reduced periprocedural and postprocedural antiplatelet/anticoagulation protocols may be used with a low reasonable risk of thromboembolic complications. However, regrowth/rerupture remains a problem underlining the importance of early angiographic follow-up and re-treatment, including PAO if necessary

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistula with an associated feeding artery aneurysm: Case report

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: A case of a spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) with two associated feeding artery aneurysms is reported. Intradural spinal arteriovenous malformations have been associated with aneurysms that present with subarachnoid hemorrhage and with venous varices that produce mass effect, but spinal DAVFs have not previously been described in association with feeding artery aneurysms. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 71-year- old man presented with progressive spastic paraparesis, constipation, and overflow incontinence. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a spinal vascular lesion and venous ischemia in the lower spinal cord. Diagnostic spinal angiography revealed a DAVF originating from the left T11 radicular artery and having the unusual feature of two proximal feeding artery aneurysms. INTERVENTION: The patient deteriorated neurologically after undergoing angiography, prompting emergent surgery. The DAVF was resected through a T11 transpedicular approach. One aneurysm was dolichoectatic and therefore unclippable, requiring proximal occlusion of the parent artery after establishing tolerance of test occlusion using somatosensory evoked potentials; the second aneurysm was adjacent to the fistula and was resected with the DAVF. CONCLUSION: Feeding artery aneurysms in association with spinal DAVFs have not been previously reported. They present additional risk to patients and, with simple modifications of the standard operative approaches, can easily be treated as part of the surgery for the DAVF