The safety and efficacy of stent-assisted coiling for acutely ruptured cerebral aneurysms: a multicenter prospective registry study (SAVE).

BACKGROUND

Stent-assisted coiling (SAC) is a reasonable treatment for ruptured cerebral aneurysms that are not amenable to primary coiling. However, the safety and efficacy of SAC for acutely ruptured cerebral aneurysms need to be further determined.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of SAC for acutely ruptured cerebral aneurysms.

METHODS

This was a prospective, multicenter study of consecutive patients with acutely ruptured cerebral aneurysms treated with SAC within 72 hours after presentation. The primary outcome was treatment-related thromboembolic complications within 30 days of treatment; the secondary outcomes were hemorrhagic complications and aneurysm recurrence. A favorable clinical outcome was defined as a modified Rankin scale (mRS) of 0 to 2 at 6 months after treatment.

RESULTS

Of the 315 patients, 278 patients with 278 acutely ruptured aneurysms were included in the study. Treatment-related thromboembolic complications occurred in 32 patients (11.5%), including nine (3.2%) patients with intraoperative thrombosis and 23 (8.3%) patients with postoperative ischemia. Hemorrhagic complications occurred in 13 (4.7%) patients, including one (0.4%) patient with intraoperative hemorrhage and 12 (4.3%) patients with postoperative hemorrhage. Aneurysm rebleeding occurred in two (0.7%) patients. A total of 251 (251/275, 91.3%) patients had favorable clinical outcomes at the 6-month follow-up. The rate of aneurysm recurrence was 7.2%. Patients with a worse WFNS grade tended to have thromboembolic complications (21.2% vs. 10.2%, P  = 0.079) and hemorrhagic complications (12.1% vs. 3.7%, P  = 0.054). Treatment-related thromboembolic complications and hemorrhagic complications were independent predictors of unfavorable clinical outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Most patients had favorable clinical outcomes, with a low risk of intraoperative complications, aneurysm rebleeding, and a high rate of aneurysm occlusion. SAC for acutely ruptured aneurysms is a safe and effective procedure, especially in patients with good clinical conditions before treatment.