Endovascular treatment of vertebrobasilar system aneurysms - long term results

Microsurgical treatment of VBSA is complex and challenging due to the deep location of the vessels and the proximity of important structures. Therefore, minimally invasive endovascular techniques have been introduced to the treatment of VBSA. The aim of this study was to present long-term results and technical aspects of VBSA embolisation. In this manuscript, we describe our experience in the treatment of VBSA with long-term results. Furthermore, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this treatment modality, paying special attention to the technical aspects. We believe that this is an important contribution to this topic because the number of previous reports is limited. It adds to a population that can be compared to patients treated using different methods.

We analysed the medical records of patients with aneurysms of vertebral and basilar arteries referred for endovascular treatment between 2015 and 2020.

A total of 44 patients were selected for the study. From this group, 10 patients (22.7%) were admitted with SAH caused by ruptured VBSA. The median age of the patients was 58 years (31-80), with 27 (61.4%) females and 17 (38.6%) males. The majority of the VBSAs (35, 79.5%) were located on the basilar artery. Complete occlusion was achieved in 39 patients (88.6%). Procedural complications occurred in three cases (6.8%). In long-term follow-up, complete embolisation was achieved in 81.8% (36 of 44 patients). In 18.2% (eight patients), recurrence of VBSA was observed. Two patients were qualified for recoiling. Clinical follow-up was uneventful in 37 (84%) patients. Four patients (9%) reported mild headaches. Three (7%) patients required assistance for daily living.

Endovascular embolisation of VBSA is feasible and provides an excellent rate of complete occlusion and a high rate of favourable long-term outcomes, which support using this technique as a first-line treatment. A relatively high rate of recurrence remains the major drawback, especially in cases of wide-neck VBSA.