Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
18:50
Microsurgical Clip Obliteration of Middle Cerebral Aneurysm Using Intraoperative Flow Assessment
Published on: September 25, 2009
SILK flow-diverting device for intracranial aneurysms.
Mandy J Binning1, Sabareesh K Natarajan, Ketan R Bulsara
1Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA.
World Neurosurgery
|December 14, 2011
Summary
The SILK flow-diverter effectively occluded intracranial aneurysms in two U.S. patients. While easy to deploy, one patient experienced a stroke due to therapy cessation, highlighting the need for careful management.
Area of Science:
- Endovascular neurosurgery
- Cerebrovascular disease management
- Medical device technology
Background:
- The SILK intracranial stent is a CE-mark approved flow-diverter for treating brain aneurysms in Europe.
- It functions by creating a bypass conduit to reconstruct the parent vessel while preserving perforating and branch arteries.
Observation:
- This report details the first two U.S. cases using the SILK stent for intracranial aneurysms.
- One patient had a giant posterior communicating artery aneurysm; the other had a fusiform vertebrobasilar junction and basilar artery aneurysm.
Findings:
- Immediate angiographic stasis was achieved in both patients with easy deployment of SILK stents.
- One patient developed in-stent thrombosis and stroke after reversal of anticoagulation/antiplatelet therapy.
- The second patient had successful aneurysm occlusion and parent vessel reconstruction without complications.
Implications:
- The SILK flow-diverter shows promise for intracranial aneurysm treatment in the U.S.
- Careful patient selection and management of antiplatelet therapy are crucial.
- Further multi-center studies with experienced operators are necessary to confirm efficacy and safety.