Balloon-assisted coil placement in wide-necked aneurysms. Technical note.

Saccular intracranial aneurysms are a common and often fatal lesion. Whereas surgical treatment of these aneurysms continues to be the gold standard of care, certain situations arise for which surgery may not be the best option. In some of these cases, electrolytically detachable coils have been proven to provide outcomes superior to those seen for medical management alone. The authors present two cases of ophthalmic artery aneurysms that would not hold the Guglielmi detachable coils on the initial attempt. One aneurysm was 7 mm and one 4 mm, both with wide necks relative to the aneurysm sac. By using a balloon-assisted technique and blocking the parent artery with a nondetachable balloon, the coils could be safely placed in these aneurysms without herniation when the balloon was deflated. Both patients exhibited embolic symptoms after the procedure, one with a mild but permanent deficit. Although this technique requires manipulation of a second microcatheter and balloon, which increases its technical difficulties and is a higher risk procedure than standard coil placement, it has utility in patients who are not candidates for surgery.