Faculty Collaboration Database

Learning Curve for Flow Diversion of Posterior Circulation Aneurysms: A Long-Term International Multicenter Cohort Study. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2022 Nov;43(11):1615-1620

Date

10/14/2022

Pubmed ID

36229166

Pubmed Central ID

PMC9731249

DOI

10.3174/ajnr.A7679

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85141892869 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   7 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Flow diversion has gradually become a standard treatment for intracranial aneurysms of the anterior circulation. Recently, the off-label use of the flow diverters to treat posterior circulation aneurysms has also increased despite initial concerns of rupture and the suboptimal results. This study aimed to explore the change in complication rates and treatment outcomes across time for posterior circulation aneurysms treated using flow diversion and to further evaluate the mechanisms and variables that could potentially explain the change and outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review using a standardized data set at multiple international academic institutions was performed to identify patients with ruptured and unruptured posterior circulation aneurysms treated with flow diversion during a decade spanning January 2011 to January 2020. This period was then categorized into 4 intervals.

RESULTS: A total of 378 procedures were performed during the study period. Across time, there was an increasing tendency to treat more vertebral artery and fewer large vertebrobasilar aneurysms (P = .05). Moreover, interventionalists have been increasingly using fewer overlapping flow diverters per aneurysm (P = .07). There was a trend toward a decrease in the rate of thromboembolic complications from 15.8% in 2011-13 to 8.9% in 2018-19 (P = .34).

CONCLUSIONS: This multicenter experience revealed a trend toward treating fewer basilar aneurysms, smaller aneurysms, and increased usage of a single flow diverter, leading to a decrease in the rate of thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications.

Author List

Adeeb N, Dibas M, Griessenauer CJ, Cuellar HH, Salem MM, Xiang S, Enriquez-Marulanda A, Hong T, Zhang H, Taussky P, Grandhi R, Waqas M, Aldine AS, Tutino VM, Aslan A, Siddiqui AH, Levy EI, Ogilvy CS, Thomas AJ, Ulfert C, Möhlenbruch MA, Renieri L, Bengzon Diestro JD, Lanzino G, Brinjikji W, Spears J, Vranic JE, Regenhardt RW, Rabinov JD, Harker P, Müller-Thies-Broussalis E, Killer-Oberpfalzer M, Islak C, Kocer N, Sonnberger M, Engelhorn T, Kapadia A, Yang VXD, Salehani A, Harrigan MR, Krings T, Matouk CC, Mirshahi S, Chen KS, Aziz-Sultan MA, Ghorbani M, Schirmer CM, Goren O, Dalal SS, Finkenzeller T, Holtmannspötter M, Buhk JH, Foreman PM, Cress MC, Hirschl RA, Reith W, Simgen A, Janssen H, Marotta TR, Stapleton CJ, Patel AB, Dmytriw AA

Author

Shervin Mirshahi MD Assistant Professor in the Radiology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Cohort Studies
Embolization, Therapeutic
Endovascular Procedures
Humans
Intracranial Aneurysm
Learning Curve
Retrospective Studies
Stents
Treatment Outcome