Endovascular Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms Using a Microcatheter Protection

Stent protective or balloon remodeling techniques have enabled coil embolization of complexly configured aneurysms. Still, the utility of such methods may be limited in some small-caliber and/or inherently tortuous lesions. The present study was conducted to examine the efficacy of microcatheter protection (MCP) when applied in these circumstances.

This retrospective review included 432 patients with 452 intracranial aneurysms subjected to MCP between April 2001 and January 2021. All available medical records and radiologic data were analyzed, focusing on strategic, safety, and efficacy aspects of the procedures.

In a majority (255/452, 56.4%) of cases, MCP was applied throughout entire coiling procedures, as opposed to coil framing (137/452, 30.3%) or filling/finishing (60/452, 13.3%) only. Lesions of the middle cerebral artery (54.9%) predominated, followed by anterior (12.4%) and posterior (11.1%) communicating artery aneurysms. Stent protection was also used occasionally (46/452, 10.2%). Procedural morbidity was low (3/432, 0.7%), limited to symptomatic thromboembolism and procedural leakage, and there were no deaths. Occlusion was successfully achieved by MCP in 424 aneurysms (93.8%). During the follow-up period (mean, 43.4 ± 30.4 months), satisfactory occlusion was documented in 406 of 440 (92.3%) aneurysms.

MCP is feasible and safe for coil embolization of intracranial aneurysms, in conjunction with multicatheter, balloon, or stenting techniques. MCP may have merit in small-sized or tortuous lesions not amenable to balloon or stent usage, often eliminating the need for stenting altogether.