Result of neck clipping and coil embolization as a treatment for unruptured aneurysm

The report of the International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial (ISAT) study showed that coil embolization was superior to neck clipping as a treatment for subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) (1). Recently, some results of treatments for unruptured aneurysm via coil embolization and neck clipping have been reported (2,3).We compared the results of coil embolization and neck clipping in our institute. Generally better outcomes were obtained by endovascular surgery than by neck clipping. Postoperative ischemic strokes occurred in one case (1.8%) as a major stroke and in three cases (5.6% ) as a minor stroke among coil-treated cases, and in two cases(2.6%) as a major stroke, and in seven cases(9.0%) as a minor stroke among neck clipping cases. Other complications after these treatments were six cases of subdural effusion/hematoma, four cases of infection, two cases of epidural hematoma, one abducens nerve palsy, one hydrocephalus, and one acute myocardial infarction among 78 neck clipping cases, and two subcutaneous hematoma, one pseudoaneurysm at the puncture points, one direct carotid-cavernous fistula among 54 coil-treated cases. Four coil-treated cases, in which introduction of microcatheters to the aneurysm was impossible, were treated completely by neck clipping after endovascular treatments. In terms of modified Rankin Scale(mRS) three months after treatments, while mRS 3 was noted in only one case in the endovascular treatment group, there were one case of mRS 3, two cases of mRS 4, and two cases of mRS 5 in the neck clipping group. Duration of hospitalization averaged 11.9 days in the endovascular group and 24.1 days in the neck clipping group. The results of endosaccular enbolizations as treatment of the unruptured aneurysm seems to be better than neck clipping. However, not all cases of unruptured aneurysms can be treated by coil embolization due to the width of aneurysmal neck and relation of the aneurysm to parent arteries. Therefore, surgeons should also be able to perform neck clipping as an alternative modality.