Buenos Aires experience with the Neuroform self-expanding stent for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms.
OBJECTIVE
The authors report their experience with the use of the Neuroform Microdelivery System for intravascular reconstruction. They assess the technical feasibility of the system, the efficacy of the combined application of stent and detachable coils, and the follow-up findings.


METHODS
Fifty patients found to harbor a complex wide-necked intracranial aneurysm were selected for the study. Different strategies were chosen and the performance and technical success of the device were evaluated. Stent placement was recorded as optimal or suboptimal with respect to the stent position. Clinical and angiographic follow-up examinations were obtained. Forty-six patients with 48 intracranial aneurysms were treated, leading to a technical success rate of 92%. Forty-two lesions were located in the anterior circulation. In every case the dome/neck ratio was less than 2 and the mean aneurysm size in these patients was 8.8 mm. The most frequent clinical presentation was subarachnoid hemorrhage in 48% of cases. Stent placement was optimal in 81.2% of cases and suboptimal in 18.8%. In 31% of cases, the investigators encountered difficulties in placing the Neuroform stent. Clinical follow up was recorded in all patients and angiographic follow up was obtained in 63%. There were no cases of repeated hemorrhage. In a single case in which only the stent was implanted progressive thrombosis was identified during the follow-up period. The procedure-related morbidity and mortality rates were 8.6 and 2.1%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
On the basis of the results, the authors conclude that the Neuroform self-expanding stent is a flexible and useful device that can be readily and safely maneuvered through tortuous intracranial vessels, enabling the endovascular treatment of complex wide-necked aneurysms. Early in the authors' experience, stent delivery presented difficulties; however, a second generation of devices has resolved this limitation. Although the early results are promising, the long-term benefit of this technique has to be proved by angiographic and clinical follow-up examinations.
Lylyk
Pedro
P
Department of Neurosurgery and Interventional Neuroradiology, Clínica Médica Belgrano, Fundación para la Lucha contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia, Buenos Aires, Argentina. plylyk@lylyk.com.ar
Ferrario
Angel
A
Pasbón
Boris
B
Miranda
Carlos
C
Doroszuk
Gustavo
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000497:Alloys; D017542:Aneurysm, Ruptured / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000009:adverse effects; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D004867:Equipment Design; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D019233:Retreatment; D015607:Stents; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D015996:Survival Rate; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical
D000497:Alloys; C013616:nitinol