Cost of Treatment of Cerebral Aneurysm Embolization: Study of Associated Factors

Cost analysis of endovascular treatment for unruptured intracranial aneurysms at a private hospital in Brazil

Background

Intracranial aneurysms have a prevalence of 1-6% and significant rupture risks, leading to high morbidity and mortality. Endovascular therapy demands an understanding of its economic impacts. This study evaluates the costs and complications of unruptured intracranial aneurysm treatment in a private Latin American hospital.

Methods

A retrospective longitudinal observational study was carried out in a private hospital in Brazil from February 2015 to January 2021. Patients undergoing elective endovascular treatment for unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) were included in the study. Data collected included patient demographics, aneurysm characteristics, treatment modalities, costs, and clinical outcomes. Costs were adjusted to their present value in 2023 US dollars (USD). Descriptive statistics summarized the data.

Results

A total of 77 patients (68 females and nine males) with 111 aneurysms were included. The average total cost per patient was $31,831.08, with materials (65.9%) and hospital daily rates (11.3%) being the primary cost drivers. Device associations included flow diverter (51.9%), stent-assisted coiling (19.2%), and coiling (11.5%). Clinical outcomes were favorable, with an average inpatient stay of 6.5 ± 10.2 days, 6.5% of patients requiring readmission for complications, and no deaths within 90 days. The highest costs were associated with coiling and stent-assisted coiling.

Conclusion

The cost of endovascular treatment for UIAs at a private hospital in Brazil is substantial, primarily driven by materials and hospital daily rates. Despite high costs, clinical outcomes were favorable, with low complication rates. These findings underscore the need for continuous cost-effectiveness evaluation and treatment optimization to balance clinical benefits with financial considerations.

Patients' Perception of Morocco's Medicine Pricing Reform and Determinants of Their Access to Health Care and Medicine

Background

In 2014, the Ministry of Health of Morocco implemented a reform of medicine pricing that leads to lower prices. This reform has brought about a new method of pricing medicines and a reduction in the prices of more than 1,400 of the 5,000 medicines on the market. The objective of this study was to survey patients' perceptions of the impact of the reform on medicine prices and affordability of health care, including medicine.

Methods

Between September 2017 and September 2018, 360 patients that visited a community pharmacy in four selected areas of different socioeconomic levels were interviewed based on a questionnaire. Findings were studied through univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results

Three hundred patients (83%) were included given their completed questionnaire. The majority (89%) of respondents considered medicine prices as a potential barrier to access to health care. Lower medicine prices following the reform were not perceived to have actually impacted respondents' spending on health care. In some cases, care was delayed, in particular by lower-income respondents and people without insurance and health coverage.

Conclusion

The majority of patients participating in the study did not perceive the decrease in medicine prices as sufficient. In addition, the study findings pointed to the relevance of further determinants of access to medicines, such as health insurance coverage. Patients think that the generalized third-party payment mode, which does not oblige patients to spend out of their pockets to have their treatment but rather their health insurance funds that will pay for them, provides optimal access to medicines.

Comparison of operating room variables, radiation exposure and implant costs for WEB versus stent assisted coiling for treatment of wide neck bifurcation aneurysms

BACKGROUND

The WEB device offers another option for treating wide neck bifurcation aneurysms (WNBA). The objective was to compare procedure variables, radiation and implant cost between WEB and stent assisted coiling (SAC) for WNBA.

METHODS

A retrospective comparison of similarly sized WNBA treated with SAC or WEB over 5-years was performed. The operating room (arrival-departure), anesthesia (intubation-extubation), procedure duration (puncture-closure), fluoroscopy time and radiation dose(m-Gy) were recorded from the patients' charts. Implant cost per case of all implants (stents, coils, WEB) that were opened whether deployed or not was captured including any coils used in the WEB cases. The implant cost represented the true cost incurred by the institution.

RESULTS

There were 46 WEB and 41 SAC cases with no significant difference in aneurysm size. There were more MCA and ACOMM (p = 0.005) and more ruptured aneurysms (p = 0.02) in the WEB group. Regarding procedure variables (hours:minutes): Operating room time WEB 2:31 (±0:37) versus SAC 3:41 (±0:50) (p < 0.0001); anesthesia duration WEB 2:05 (±0:31) versus SAC 3:13 (±0:51) (p < 0.0001) and procedure duration WEB 1:16 (±0:29) versus SAC 2:09 (±0:46) (p < 0.0001). Regarding radiation: Fluoroscopy time WEB 0:34 (±0:18) versus SAC 1:06 (±0:35) (p < 0.0001) and radiation dose WEB 2392(±1086)m-Gy versus SAC 3442 (±1528)m-Gy (p = 0.0007). The implant cost was $17,028(±$5,527) for the WEB versus $23,813 (±$7,456) for the SAC group (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

The WEB group had significantly shorter operating room, procedure and anesthesia duration compared to the SAC group. The radiation dose and fluoroscopy time was lower for the WEB group. The total implant cost per case was significantly lower for the WEB versus the SAC group.

Cost analysis of materials used in the endovascular treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms in Mexico

BACKGROUND

To prevent the potentially fatal consequences of intracranial aneurysmal rupture, exclusion from the circulation can be achieved through an endovascular approach. However, the elevated cost of such procedures can be prohibitive for patients in low resource settings. The objective of this study is to identify the factors that modify the cost of the materials used for endovascular treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms.

METHODS

Medical records of patients who underwent an endovascular treatment for unruptured intracranial aneurysms between June 2013 and June 2019 in a hospital located in Northeast Mexico were reviewed. Descriptive statistics of the cost of consumable materials used during the procedure was performed, and a regression model was undertaken to examine potential associations between the studied variables and total cost of the intervention.

RESULTS

A total of 128 patients were included in this analysis. The average intervention cost was $21,687.22 USD. The variables associated with increased material cost were aneurysm size (p = 0.03), aneurysm neck size (p < 0.001), and aneurysm localization in the cavernous segment of the internal carotid artery (p = 0.01). Other variables such as patient age and sex, other aneurysm localizations, laterality of the aneurysm, performing neurointerventionalist, and presence of intervention complications were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first study that examines the variables associated with the material cost of endovascular treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Awareness of which elements are important drivers of materials' costs provides a strategic advantage when making hospital administrative decisions and attempting to improve access to endovascular treatment in countries of low income.

Trends for in-hospital metrics in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Background: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (ASAH) and unruptured aneurysm (URA) are particularly important because of the high mortality rates, and physical and cognitive impairment, which affect the economically active population. The present work aims at describing the scenario regarding in-hospital indicators related to the following therapeutic approaches: vascular microsurgery (VMS) and endovascular therapy (EVT) in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in order to gather information to construct hypotheses and plan actions. Methods: The study has an ecological design and it is also analytical for the time trends of 2008-2014. Trends for VMS and EVT therapies and mortality are estimated using linear regression, followed by the Prais-Winsten procedure. Data were obtained through Hospital Information System (Sistema de Informações Hospitalares - SIH) of Brazilian Public Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS). Results: In 2014, 601 procedures were performed, and out of these, 373 (62%) were triggered by SAH and 228 (38%) by URA. The frequency of procedures performed in males and in females results in a ratio of 1:2 for SAH procedures and 1:3 for URA procedures. A heterogeneous distribution of therapeutic approaches was seen among the hospital studied, suggesting a technological preference, which determines the therapeutic approach. Conclusion: Technological bias was observed for aneurysm treatment in Minas Gerais's hospitals. EVT is seen to have a growing trend to detriment of VMS (β₁ = 0.024; p = 0.025), with a stable mortality for both therapeutics in both pathologies (SAH and URA). EVT has been associated with a shorter hospital stay, with higher expenses for both ASAH and URA treatment. EVT showed an inverse correlation with in-hospital fatality for ASAH treatment.

Analysis of Treatment Cost Variation Among Multiple Neurosurgical Procedures Using the Value-Driven Outcomes Database

BACKGROUND

Health care costs comprise a substantial portion of total national expenditure. Although interest in cost-effectiveness analysis in neurosurgery has increased, there has been little cross-comparison of neurosurgical procedures. The aim of this study was to compare costs across elective neurosurgical procedures to understand whether drivers of cost differ.

METHODS

The Value Driven Outcomes database was used to evaluate treatment costs for resection of vestibular schwannoma, intracranial meningioma, gliomas, and pituitary adenoma; anterior cervical discectomy and fusion and lumbar spinal fusion; and aneurysm treatment.

RESULTS

A total of 1997 patients (mean age 54.6 ± 14.5 years; 45.2% male) were evaluated. The mean length of stay (LOS) was 4.0 ± 4.4 days. For cases involving hardware implantation, including spine fusion or aneurysm treatment, supplies and implants (49.1%) accounted for the largest fraction of costs followed by facility costs (37.9%). For cases that did not involve hardware, including tumor cases, facility costs (63.9%) were the largest fraction, followed by supplies and implants (16.2%). Aneurysm treatment and lumbar fusion were 1.5-3 times more costly than cranial tumor resection and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion per patient. Multivariate linear regression demonstrated that LOS (β = 0.7, P = 0.0001) and patient treatment type (β = 0.2, P = 0.0001) had the greatest effect on costs. LOS correlated with cost differently depending on case type; its effect was largest for patients with meningioma and smallest for patients with vestibular schwannoma. Costs across time increased similarly for all case types.

CONCLUSIONS

Costs for neurosurgical procedures vary widely depending on treatment type and correlated directly with LOS. Strategies to reduce cost may require different approaches depending on procedure type.

The efficacy of microsurgery in the treatment of cerebral aneurysm rupture and its effect on NF-κB, MCP-1 and MMP-9

The clinical efficacy of microsurgical neck clipping for the treatment of cerebral aneurysm rupture and its effect on serum nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated β cells (NF-κB), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) levels were investigated. A total of 56 patients with first occurrence of cerebral aneurysm rupture were enrolled from June 2015 to June 2016. These patients were divided into control (25 patients) and observation groups (31 patients) according to treatment received. The patients in the control group were treated with interventional embolization and extraventricular drainage, while the patients in the observation group were treated with microsurgical neck clipping. Serum NF-κB, MCP-1 and MMP-9 levels were measured by ELISA prior to the operation and at 6 h post-operation. Clinical effects were compared at the 6-month follow-up. There was no significant difference in the success rate of the operation between the two groups (p>0.05). The incidence of complications in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p<0.05). The Glasgow Outcome Scale score was significantly improved in the observation group (p<0.05) compared with the control group. Serum NF-κB, MMP-9 and MCP-1 were significantly decreased in both groups at 6 and 24 h after operation, but the observational group showed significantly lower levels for all three proteins than the control group (p<0.05). The application of early microsurgical neck clipping for the treatment of cerebral aneurysm rupture can reduce complications and improve clinical prognosis, and this may be related to a decrease in serum inflammatory response-related factors (NF-κB and MCP-1) and MMP-9.

The Effect of Placing Flow-Diverting Stents in Intracranial Collateral Arteries of Miniature Pig

BACKGROUND Flow-diverting stent (FDS) has been suggested as an effective intracranial aneurysm treatment. However, the effects of FDS on collateral branches of an aneurysm parent artery still remain unknown. Thus, the present study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effects of placing a FDS in the intracranial collateral artery, using a miniature pig animal model. MATERIAL AND METHODS Ten healthy miniature pigs were included in the study: one pig was reserved as a control and the remaining nine pigs were placed in three experimental groups: FDS (i.e., Pipeline), LVIS, and Solitaier-AB stent groups. Pigs in the experimental groups were examined by cerebral angiography immediately after stent placement, followed by hemodynamic analyses. In addition, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain of pigs in the experimental groups was performed to inspect the brain for obstruction and blood flow. Stents were examined for the growth of neointimas. RESULTS The results showed that neointimas, consisting of smooth muscle cells, collagenous fibers, and macrophages, were 0.67 mm thick on average and partially covered the stent wires. The thickness of neointimas in the FDS group was significantly higher than in the two conventional intracranial stent groups. There was no obvious obstruction identified in collateral arteries where the FDS was placed. CONCLUSIONS These results indicated that neointimas in collateral arteries of a miniature pig would be slightly thickened after one month of FDS placement; and FDS was shown to be safe for collateral arteries.