Treatment of giant intracranial aneurysms

We report on report the clinical outcome obtained in treatment of giant intracranial aneurysms (GAs). Between 2005 and 2007, 51 patients with 51 GAs presented at our hospital. Twentynine were treated with primary parent vessel occlusion without distal bypass and ten underwent treatment preserving the parent artery. Twelve patients could not be treated endovascularly. Selective embolization (including two remodeling techniques and two stent-coil mbolizations) resulted in only one cure. Two patients died as a result of subarachnoid hemorrhage periprocedurely. Twenty-nine patients treated primarily with parent vessel occlusion and three patients treated with covered stent were considered cured after their treatments. Only one patient treated with parent vessel occlusion experienced ischemia during follow-up, which resulted in a mild neurological deficit. Of the twelve patients who could not be treated endovascularly, one succumbed to surgery, four died while being treated conservatively, and three were lost to follow-up. Parent artery occlusion, covered stent and coil occlusion provide effective protection against bleeding. In treatment of paraclinoid GAs of the internal carotid rtery, the use of a stent, and stent-assisted coil embolization may be a pitfall.