Insights on a Giant Aneurysm Treated Endovascularly

Background Endovascular treatment with stent-assisted Guglielmi detachable coils is an accepted method for treating intracranial giant aneurysms that otherwise would require more invasive or destructive treatment or could not be treated at all. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of information concerning inner postcoiling aneurysmal changes in human subjects over the long term. We report a postmortem analysis of a patient with a giant aneurysm at the vertebrobasilar junction (VBJ) who was treated endovascularly and studied pathologically 24 months after treatment. Materials and Method The head was removed at autopsy and prefixed in a 10% neutral buffered formalin solution. The brain was gently removed from the skull base after cutting the intracranial nerves and vascular structures. The giant VBJ aneurysm and its relationship with the brainstem, cranial nerves, and vessels were captured photographically and analyzed. Afterward, under operating microscope guidance, the vertebrobasilar system with the aneurysm was gently and carefully detached from the brainstem and carefully analyzed. Results No complete fibrous obliteration of the aneurysm lumen could be detected in our case, and no endothelialization had taken place 24 months after treatment. Conclusions Our findings agree with those of previous similar reports. Coiling, in particular in large or giant aneurysms, may be burdened by the risk of coil compaction and recanalization, but it has the advantage of not affecting the flow in the perforating arteries.