Treatment of acutely ruptured wide-necked intracranial aneurysms using self-expanding stent

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of self-expanding stent in treatment of acutely ruptured wide-necked intracranial aneurysms in the acute stage.

Treatment of 38 patients with self-expanding stent was retrospectively analyzed.

From January 2009 to May 2014, a total of 38 patients with 44 acutely ruptured wide-necked intracranial aneurysms were embolized with self-expanding stents at our center. Immediate post-operative imaging demonstrated that the aneurysms were densely packed in 17 patients, subtotally embolized in 2 patients, and subtotally embolized with residual aneurysm necks in 19 patients. At discharge, the patients were assessed for prognosis and the results revealed nerve dysfunction in 3 patients (7.9%), coma in 6 patients (15.8%), hospital death in 1 case (2.6%). Twenty-eight (73.7%) patients were asymptomatic at discharge. Ten of the 38 patients were followed up by angiography for a period of 3.7 months on average, which showed complete occlusion in 9 patients (90%), remnant aneurysm necks in 1 patient (10%), and no recanalization was observed in all the followed-up patients. Stent related complications also were recorded.

Stent-assisted coiling is effective in treating acutely ruptured wide-necked intracranial aneurysms. Angiographic investigation and clinical follow-up is needed for evaluation of long-term clinical outcomes.