Project description:BackgroundPatients with coarctation of the aorta have a high prevalence of intracranial aneurysms (IA) and suffer subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) at younger ages than the general population. American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines recommend IA screening, but appropriate age and interval of screening and its effectiveness remain a critical knowledge gap.Methods and resultsTo evaluate the benefits and cost-effectiveness of magnetic resonance angiography screening for IA in patients with coarctation of the aorta, we developed and calibrated a Markov model to match published IA prevalence estimates. The primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Secondary outcomes included lifetime cumulative incidence of prophylactic IA treatment and mortality and SAH deaths prevented. Using a payer perspective, a lifetime horizon, and a willingness-to-pay of $150 000 per quality-adjusted life-year gained, we applied a 3% annual discounting rate to costs and effects and performed 1-way, 2-way, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. In a simulated cohort of 10 000 patients, no screening resulted in a 10.1% lifetime incidence of SAH and 183 SAH-related deaths. Screening at ages 10, 20, and 30 years led to 978 prophylactic treatments for unruptured aneurysms, 19 procedure-related deaths, and 65 SAH-related deaths. Screening at ages 10, 20, and 30 years was cost-effective compared with screening at ages 10 and 20 years (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio $106 841/quality-adjusted life-year). Uncertainty in the outcome after aneurysm treatment and quality of life after SAH influenced the preferred screening strategy. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, screening at ages 10, 20, and 30 years was cost-effective in 41% of simulations and at ages 10 and 20 in 59% of simulations.ConclusionsOur model supports the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology recommendation to screen patients with coarctation of the aorta for IA and suggests screening at ages 10 and 20 or at 10, 20, and 30 years would extend life and be cost-effective.
Project description:Background and purposeUnderstanding risk factors for intracranial aneurysm growth is important for patient management. We performed a meta-analysis examining risk factors for intracranial aneurysm growth in longitudinal studies and examined the association between aneurysm growth and rupture.Materials and methodsWe searched the literature for longitudinal studies of patients with unruptured aneurysms. We examined the associations of demographics, multiple aneurysms, prior subarachnoid hemorrhage, family history of aneurysm or subarachnoid hemorrhage, smoking, and hypertension; and aneurysm shape, size, and location with aneurysm growth. We studied the association between aneurysm growth and rupture. A meta-analysis was performed by using a random-effects model by using summary statistics from included studies.ResultsTwenty-one studies including 3954 patients with 4990 aneurysms with 13,294 aneurysm-years of follow-up were included. The overall proportion of growing aneurysms was 3.0% per aneurysm-year (95% CI, 2.0%-4.0%). Patient risk factors for growth included age older than 50 years (3.8% per year versus 0.9% per year, P < .01), female sex (3.2% per year versus 1.3% per year, P < .01), and smoking history (5.5% per year versus 3.5% per year, P < .01). Characteristics associated with higher growth rates included cavernous carotid artery location (14.4% per year), nonsaccular shape (14.7% per year versus 5.2% per year for saccular, P < .01), and aneurysm size (P < .01). Aneurysm growth was associated with a rupture rate of 3.1% per year compared with 0.1% per year for stable aneurysms (P < .01).ConclusionsObservational evidence provided multiple clinical and anatomic risk factors for aneurysm growth, including age older than 50 years, female sex, smoking history, and nonsaccular shape. These findings should be considered when counseling patients regarding the natural history of unruptured intracranial aneurysms.
Project description:BackgroundThe Woven EndoBridge 17 (WEB-17) is the latest advancement in the WEB device family. Comprehensive data on its occlusion rates, procedural complications, and mortality is lacking. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the WEB-17 device in intracranial aneurysms (IAs).MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted from inception to October 2023 across four databases for studies on IAs treated with WEB 17. Primary outcomes included adequate angiographic occlusion at last follow-up and a composite of intraprocedural and postprocedural complications. Comparative meta-analysis between WEB-17 and its predecessor versions (pvWEB) was performed. Subgroup analyses by IA rupture status were also conducted for the primary outcomes.ResultsEleven studies with 880 patients and 933 IAs were included. Regarding efficacy, the rate of adequate occlusion at last follow-up was 91% (95% CI 86%-94%) and the complete occlusion rate was 69% (95% CI 65%-73%). Safety outcomes demonstrated a composite complication rate of 7% (95% CI 4%-11%), an intraprocedural complication rate of 7% (95% CI 5%-9%; I2 = 0%), and a postprocedural complication rate of 2% (95% CI 1%-5%; I2 = 0%). No differences were found between WEB-17 and pvWEB in terms of adequate occlusion (WEB-17: 87.7% vs pvWEB: 80.4%; OR = 1.35, 95% CI 0.71-2.55) and safety composite outcome (WEB-17: 8.7% vs pvWEB: 10%; OR = 1.05, 95% CI 0.51-2.16). Subgroup analysis did not evidence heterogeneity between subgroups.ConclusionsThe WEB-17 device demonstrates promising efficacy and safety profiles for the treatment of IAs. However, these results should be interpreted with caution due to the limited quality of evidence in the included studies. Further prospective, randomized studies are needed to validate these findings.
Project description:BackgroundCurrently, endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms (ICAs) is limited by low complete occlusion rates. The advent of novel endovascular technology has expanded the applicability of endovascular therapy; however, the superiority of novel embolic devices over the traditional Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs) is still debated. We performed a systematic review of literature that reported Raymond-Roy occlusion classification (RROC) rates of modern endovascular devices to determine their immediate and follow-up occlusion effectiveness for the treatment of unruptured saccular ICAs.MethodsA search was conducted using electronic databases (PUBMED, Cochrane, ClinicalTrials.gov, Web of Science). We retrieved studies published between 2000-2022 reporting immediate and follow-up RROC rates of subjects treated with different endovascular ICA therapies. We extracted demographic information of the treated patients and their reported angiographic RROC rates.ResultsA total of 80 studies from 15 countries were included for data extraction. RROC rates determined from angiogram were obtained for 21,331 patients (72.5% females, pooled mean age: 58.2 (95% CI: 56.8-59.6), harboring 22,791 aneurysms. The most frequent aneurysm locations were the internal carotid artery (46.4%, 95% CI: 41.9%-50.9%), the anterior communicating artery (26.4%, 95% CI: 22.5%-30.8%), the middle cerebral artery (24.5%, 95% CI:19.2%-30.8%) and the basilar tip (14.4%, 95% CI:11.3%-18.3%). The complete occlusion probability (RROC-I) was analyzed for GDCs, the Woven EndoBridge (WEB), and flow diverters. The RROC-I rate was the highest in balloon-assisted coiling (73.9%, 95% CI: 65.0%-81.2%) and the lowest in the WEB (27.8%, 95% CI:13.2%-49.2%). The follow-up RROC-I probability was homogenous in all analyzed devices.ConclusionsWe observed that the coil-based endovascular therapy provides acceptable rates of complete occlusion, and these rates are improved in balloon-assisted coils. Out of the analyzed devices, the WEB exhibited the shortest time to achieve >90% probability of follow-up complete occlusion (~18 months). Overall, the GDCs remain the gold standard for endovascular treatment of unruptured saccular aneurysms.
Project description:PurposeThe study aimed to identify potential risk factors for aneurysm rupture by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis.Materials and methodsWe systematically searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library electronic databases for eligible studies from their inception until June 2023.ResultsEighteen studies involving 17,069 patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysm (UIA) and 2,699 aneurysm ruptures were selected for the meta-analysis. Hyperlipidemia [odds ratio (OR): 0.47; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.39-0.56; p < 0.001] and a family history of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.71-0.91; p = 0.001) were associated with a reduced risk of aneurysm rupture. In contrast, a large-size aneurysm (OR: 4.49; 95% CI: 2.46-8.17; p < 0.001), ACA (OR: 3.34; 95% CI: 1.94-5.76; p < 0.001), MCA (OR: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.73-2.69; p < 0.001), and VABA (OR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.24-3.91; p = 0.007) were associated with an increased risk of aneurysm rupture. Furthermore, the risk of aneurysm rupture was not affected by age, sex, current smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, a history of SAH, and multiple aneurysms.ConclusionThis study identified the predictors of aneurysm rupture in patients with UIAs, including hyperlipidemia, a family history of SAH, a large-size aneurysm, ACA, MCA, and VABA; patients at high risk for aneurysm rupture should be carefully monitored.Systematic review registrationOur study was registered in the INPLASY platform (INPLASY202360062).
Project description:Background and purposePatient and aneurysm characteristics have been reported to differ between patients with familial and non-familial intracranial aneurysms (IAs), although results are inconsistent. We systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed the literature to identify and quantify patient- and aneurysm characteristics associated with familial IAs.MethodsWe searched PubMed and EMBASE for case-control and cohort studies comparing patient- and aneurysm characteristics between familial and non-familial IAs. Two observers independently assessed study eligibility and appraised quality with the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. With univariable weighted linear regression analysis we calculated β-coefficients with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for ruptured and unruptured IAs combined and for ruptured IAs only. Heterogeneity was assessed with Higgins I2.ResultsA total of 15 articles were included in the meta-analysis in which 16,346 patients were analyzed with a total of 14,225 IAs. For ruptured and unruptured IAs combined, multiple IAs were more prevalent in familial (28.5%) than in non-familial IAs (20.4%; β = 0.10, 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.16; I2 0%). For ruptured IAs only, in familial patients IAs were more prevalent on the middle cerebral artery (41.1% versus 29.5%; β = 0.12, 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.24; I2 12%) and ruptured at a younger age (46.5 years versus 50.8 years; β = -5.00, 95% CI, -9.31 to -0.69; I2 98%) than in non-familial patients. No significant differences were found for the proportion of women, size of the aneurysm at time of rupture, smoking or hypertension.ConclusionThese results suggest that characteristics of familial and non-familial IAs show considerable overlap, yet differ on specific aspects. However, results for age at rupture showed considerable heterogeneity. These findings should be taken into consideration for future etiological research into IAs.
Project description:BackgroundThe safety and efficacy of treatment with self-expandable braided stents (LEO and LVIS) required further investigation.PurposeOur aim was to analyze the outcomes after treatment with braided stents.Data sourcesA systematic search of 3 databases was performed for studies published from 2006 to 2017.Study selectionAccording to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we included studies reporting patients treated with LEO or LVIS stents.Data analysisRandom-effects meta-analysis was used to pool the following: aneurysm occlusion rate, complications, and neurologic outcomes.Data synthesisThirty-five studies evaluating 1426 patients treated with braided stents were included in this meta-analysis. Successful stent delivery and complete aneurysm occlusion were 97% (1041/1095; 95% CI, 95%-98%) (I2 = 44%) and 88.3% (1097/1256; 95% CI, 85%-91%) (I2 = 72%), respectively. Overall, treatment-related complications were 7.4% (107/1317; 95% CI, 5%-9%) (I2 = 44%). Ischemic/thromboembolic events (48/1324 = 2.4%; 95% CI, 1.5%-3.4%) (I2 = 27%) and in-stent thrombosis (35/1324 = 1.5%; 95% CI, 0.6%-1.7%) (I2 = 0%) were the most common complications. Treatment-related morbidity was 1.5% (30/1324; 95% CI, 0.9%-2%) and was comparable between the LEO and LVIS groups. Complication rates between the anterior (29/322 = 8.8%; 95% CI, 3.4%-12%) (I2 = 41%) versus posterior circulation (10/84 = 10.5%; 95% CI, 4%-16%) (I2 = 0%) and distal (30/303 = 8%; 95% CI, 4.5%-12%) (I2 = 48%) versus proximal aneurysms (14/153 = 9%; 95% CI, 3%-13%) (I2 = 46%) were comparable (P > .05).LimitationsLimitations were selection and publication biases.ConclusionsIn this analysis, treatment with the LEO and LVIS stents was relatively safe and effective. The most common complications were periprocedural thromboembolisms and in-stent thrombosis. The rate of complications was comparable among anterior and posterior circulation aneurysms, as well as for proximal and distally located lesions.
Project description:BackgroundThe implantation of flow-diverter stents for the treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms required further investigation.PurposeOur aim was to analyze the outcomes after flow diversion of ruptured intracranial aneurysms.Data sourcesA systematic search of 3 databases was performed for studies published from 2006 to 2018.Study selectionAccording to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we included studies (from 2010 to 2018) reporting acutely ruptured intracranial aneurysms treated with flow diversion.Data analysisRandom-effects meta-analysis was used to pool the following: aneurysm occlusion rate, complications, rebleeding, and factors influencing the studied outcomes.Data synthesisWe included 20 studies evaluating 223 patients with acutely ruptured intracranial aneurysms treated with flow-diverter stents. Immediate angiographic occlusion was obtained in 32% (29/86; 95% CI, 15.4%-48%; I2 = 79.6%) of aneurysms, whereas long-term complete/near-complete aneurysm occlusion was 88.9% (162/189; 95% CI, 84%-93.5%; I2 = 20.9%) (mean radiologic follow-up of 9.6 months). The treatment-related complication rate was 17.8% (42/223; 95% CI, 11%-24%; I2 = 52.6%). Complications were higher in the posterior circulation (16/72 = 27%; 95% CI, 14%-40%; I2 = 66% versus 18/149 = 11.7%; 95% CI, 7%-16%; I2 = 0%) (P = .004) and after treatment with multiple stents (14/52 = 26%; 95% CI, 14%-45%; I2 = 59%) compared with a single stent (20/141 = 10%; 95% CI, 5%-15%; I2 = 0%) (P = .004). Aneurysm rebleeding after treatment was 4% (5/223; 95% CI, 1.8%-7%; I2 = 0%) and was higher in the first 72 hours.LimitationsSmall and retrospective series.ConclusionsFlow-diversion treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms yields a high rate of long-term angiographic occlusion with a relatively low rate of aneurysm rebleeding. However, treatment is associated with a complication rate of 18%. When coiling or microsurgical clipping are not feasible strategies, anterior circulation ruptured aneurysms can be effectively treated with a flow-diversion technique, minimizing the number of stents deployed. Given the 27% rate of complications, flow diversion for ruptured posterior circulation aneurysms should be considered only in selected cases not amenable to other treatments.
Project description:BackgroundThe purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the current evidence with regard to the effectiveness and safety between coiling and clipping in patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms (RIAs).MethodsWe performed a meta-analysis that compared clipping with coiling between July 2000 and September 2021. PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched for related articles systematically. And the treatment efficacy and postoperative complications were analyzed.ResultsWe identified three randomized controlled trials and thirty-seven observational studies involving 60,875 patients with ruptured cerebral aneurysms. The summary results showed that coiling was related a better quality of life (mRS0-2; OR=1.327; CI=1.093-1.612; p<0.05), a higher risk of mortality (OR=1.116; CI=1.054-1.180; p<0.05), higher rate of rebleeding (RR=1.410; CI=1.092-1.822; p<0.05), lower incidence of vasospasm (OR=0.787; CI=0.649-0.954; p<0.05), higher risk of hydrocephalous (RR=1.143; CI=1.043-1.252; p<0.05), lower risk of cerebral infarction (RR=0.669; CI=0.596-0.751; p<0.05), lower risk of neuro deficits (RR=0.720; CI=0.582-0.892; p<0.05), and a lower rate of complete occlusion (OR=0.495; CI=0.280-0.876; p<0.05).ConclusionCoiling was significantly associated with a better life quality (mRS0-2), a lower incidence of postoperative complications, and a higher rate of mortality, rebleeding, hydrocephalous, and a lower rate of complete occlusion than clipping.
Project description:BackgroundFlow diverters have been widely used in clinical practice for more than a decade. However, most outcome data are limited to 1 year timepoints. This study aims to offer meta-analysis data on long-term (>1 year) safety and effectiveness results for patients with aneurysms treated with flow diverters.MethodsPubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and SCOPUS were searched up to February 24, 2022 using the AutoLit platform. We included primary studies assessing the long-term outcomes for flow diverter devices to manage unruptured internal carotid artery aneurysms with a follow-up period of >1 year. The meta-analysis was carried out using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (CMA).ResultsEleven studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled occlusion rates after flow diversion treatment for unruptured intracranial brain aneurysms were 77%, 87.4%, 84.5%, 89.4%, 96% for 1 year, 1-2 years, 2 years, 3 years, and 5 years follow-up, respectively. The in-stent stenosis rate was 4.8% and the retreatment rate for the long-term follow-up period was 5%. No delayed rupture of the aneurysm was reported, and there was one case of delayed ischemic stroke. The sensitivity analysis of the prospective studies showed a complete occlusion rate of 83.5% and 85.2% for 1 and 3 years of follow-up, respectively.ConclusionFlow diverters are safe and effective in short- and long-term follow-up and rarely cause serious delayed side effects.