title: Treatment of unruptured aneurysms with GDCs: clinical experience with 247 aneurysms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The GDC system is a valuable therapeutic alternative to surgical treatment of intracranial aneurysms. We present our clinical experience with the GDC technique used to treat unruptured cerebral aneurysms.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective review of 217 patients with 247 unruptured intracranial aneurysms who underwent embolization with GDCs between August 1991 and June 2000. One hundred sixty-seven of the 217 were female patients. Patient age ranged from 13 to 83 years. In 118 patients, the aneurysms were found when unrelated non-neurologic conditions indicated angiography, CT angiography, or MR angiography (group 1). Fifty-one patients with mass effect symptoms comprised group 2, 12 patients with aneurysms associated with arteriovenous malformations or tumors of the brain comprised group 3, 17 patients with unruptured aneurysms treated during the chronic phase of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) comprised group 4, and 19 patients treated during the acute phase of SAH due to another ruptured aneurysm comprised group 5.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Angiographic results revealed complete occlusion in 138 of 247 aneurysms (55.9%), neck remnants in 92 (37.2%), and incomplete occlusion in three (1.2%). GDC embolization was attempted unsuccessfully in 14 aneurysms (5.7%). Of the 198 patients without acute SAH (groups 1-4), 186 (93.9%) of 198 remained neurologically unchanged. Eleven of the 217 patients (5.1%) experienced neurologic deterioration caused by immediate procedural complications. One patient died (0.5%) as a result of aneurysmal rupture during embolization. For asymptomatic patients and those treated after the chronic period of SAH, the mean hospitalization stay was 2.9 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GDC technology constitutes safe treatment for unruptured aneurysms, with successful anatomic and clinical results and low complication rates achieved.
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Nestor
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murayama
authors.forename: Yih Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Nien
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frazee
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duckwiler
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jahan
authors.forename: Y Pierre
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Gobin
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Viñuela
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017542:Aneurysm, Ruptured / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome