Geographic Differences in Endovascular Treatment and Retreatment of Cerebral Aneurysms

Long term WEB results - still going strong at 5 years?

OBJECTIVE

The aim of our multi-center study is to examine 5-year radiological outcomes of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) treated with the Woven EndoBridge (WEB).

METHODS

All patients treated with WEB between January 2013 and December 2016 were included. Patient and aneurysm characteristic data was collected from the electronic patient record. Aneurysm occlusion was assessed using a 3-grade scale: complete occlusion, neck remnant, and aneurysm remnant. Complete occlusion and neck remnant were considered as adequate occlusion, whereas aneurysm remnant was assessed as an inadequate occlusion.

RESULTS

A total of 66 patients (72.7% female) with 66 IAs (n = 25 acutely ruptured) were treated with WEB. The mean age of patients was 55.6 years (range: 36-71 years). The mean width of the aneurysm neck was 4.5 mm (range: 2-9 mm). 5-year imaging follow-up data was not available for 16.6% patients (n = 11). During the follow up period, 14.5% of IAs (n = 8/55) required retreatment within 24 months of initial treatment with the WEB. A total of 55 IAs were analyzed for 5-year radiological outcome. Of these, including IAs required retreatment, 47.3% of IAs (n = 26/55) were occluded completely, 36.4% (n = 20/55) had neck remnant and 16.3% (n = 9/55) had recanalized. 83.7% of IAs were occluded adequately. None of the IAs rebled after initial treatment with WEB.

CONCLUSION

WEB can provide acceptable adequate occlusion rates at 5 years. Furthermore, recanalization appears to be unlikely after the first two years post-treatment. The results of large studies are needed to confirm these promising long term radiological outcomes.

Safety and effectiveness of the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) system for the treatment of wide necked bifurcation aneurysms: final 5 year results of the pivotal WEB Intra-saccular Therapy study (WEB-IT)

INTRODUCTION

The US Woven EndoBridge Intra-saccular Therapy (WEB-IT) study is a pivotal, prospective, single arm, investigational device exemption study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the WEB device for the treatment of wide neck bifurcation aneurysms (WNBAs). We present complete 5 year data for the cohort of 150 patients.

METHODS

150 patients with WNBAs were enrolled at 21 US and six international centers. Imaging from the index procedure, 6 month, 1 year, 3 year, and 5 year follow-up were reviewed by a core laboratory. Adverse events were reviewed and adjudicated by a clinical events adjudicator.

RESULTS

83 patients had 5 year follow-up imaging and 123 had clinical follow-up. No ruptured (0/9) or unruptured aneurysm (0/141) rebled or bled during follow-up. No new device or procedure related adverse events or serious adverse events were reported after 1 year. At 5 years, using the LOCF method, complete occlusion was observed in 58.1% and adequate occlusion in 87.2% of patients. For patients with both 1 year and 5 year occlusion statuses available, 76.8% (63/82) of aneurysms remained stable or improved with no retreatment. After 1 year, 18 aneurysms were retreated, 11 of which were adequately occluded at 1 year, and 15 of which were retreated in the absence of any deterioration in occlusion grade.

CONCLUSIONS

Five year follow-up data from the WEB-IT study demonstrated that the WEB device was safe and effective when used in the treatment of WNBAs. Aneurysm occlusion rates achieved at 1 year follow-up were durable, with rates of progressive thrombosis far exceeding rates of recurrence over time.

Five-year results of randomized bioactive versus bare metal coils in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms: the Matrix and Platinum Science (MAPS) Trial

BACKGROUND

No randomized trial of intracranial aneurysm coiling has compared long-term efficacy of polymer-modified coils to bare metal coils (BMCs). We report 5-year results comparing Matrix² coils to BMCs. The primary objective was to compare the rates of target aneurysm recurrence (TAR) at 12 months. Secondary objectives included angiographic outcomes at TAR or 12 months and TAR at 5 years.

METHODS

A total of 626 patients were randomized to BMCs or Matrix² coils. Detailed methods and 1-year results have been published previously.

RESULTS

Of 580 patients eligible for 5-year follow-up, 431 (74.3%) completed follow-up or reached TAR. Matrix² coils were non-inferior to BMCs (P=0.8) but did not confer any benefit. Core lab reported post-treatment residual aneurysm filling (Raymond III) correlated with TAR (P<0.0001) and with aneurysm hemorrhage after treatment (P<0.008). Repeat aneurysmal hemorrhage after treatment, but before hospital discharge, occurred in three patients treated for acutely ruptured aneurysms. Additionally, two patients treated for unruptured aneurysms experienced a first hemorrhage during follow-up. All five hemorrhages resulted from aneurysms with Raymond III residual aneurysm filling persisting after initial treatment. After 5 years follow-up, 2/626 (0.3%) patients are known to have had target aneurysm rupture following hospital discharge. The annualized rate of delayed hemorrhage after coiling was 2/398/5=0.001 (0.1%) per year for unruptured aneurysms and 0 for ruptured aneurysms.

CONCLUSIONS

After 5 years Matrix² coils were non-inferior to BMCs but no benefit was demonstrated. Post-treatment residual angiographic aneurysm filling (Raymond III) is strongly associated with TAR (P<0.0001) and post-treatment aneurysmal hemorrhage (P=0.008).

Aneurysm Treatment With Woven EndoBridge in the Cumulative Population of 3 Prospective, Multicenter Series: 2-Year Follow-Up

BACKGROUND

Woven EndoBridge (WEB; Sequent Medical) treatment is an innovative endovascular approach for treatment of wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms. Initial studies have shown high safety with good efficacy at short term confirmed by trials conducted in United States (WEB-Intrasaccular Therapy) and in Europe (WEB Clinical Assessment of Intrasaccular Aneurysm Therapy [WEBCAST], French Observatory, and WEBCAST-2).

OBJECTIVE

To report the 2-yr clinical and anatomical results of WEB treatment in the combined population of 3 European trials.

METHODS

In a French Observatory, 2-yr clinical and anatomical data were collected. In WEBCAST and WEBCAST-2, 2-yr follow-up was optional, and data were collected when follow-up was performed. Aneurysm occlusion was evaluated using a 3-grade scale: complete occlusion, neck remnant, and aneurysm remnant.

RESULTS

The population for safety was 138/168 patients (82.1%), including 89 females (64.5%), with mean age of 55.5 ± 10.2 yr. The population for efficacy was 121/169 aneurysms (71.6%). Aneurysm locations were middle cerebral artery in 65/121 aneurysms (53.7%), anterior-communicating artery in 25/121 (20.7%), basilar artery in 17/121 (14.0%), and internal carotid artery terminus in 14/121 (11.6%). No clinically relevant adverse events occurred between years 1 and 2. At 2 yr, complete occlusion was observed in 62/121 (51.2%) aneurysms, neck remnant in 36/121 (29.8%) aneurysms, and aneurysm remnant in 23/121 (19.0%) aneurysms. The global retreatment rate at 2 yr was 9.3%.

CONCLUSION

This analysis confirms the high safety profile of WEB treatment at 2 yr. Aneurysm occlusion is generally stable at 2 yr, and the retreatment rate between 1 yr and 2 yr is low (2.0%).

Efficacy and Safety of Flow-Diverter Therapy for Recurrent Aneurysms after Stent-Assisted Coiling

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Flow-diverter treatment for previously stented aneurysms has been reported to be less effective and prone to complications. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness and safety of flow diverters for recurrent aneurysms after stent-assisted coiling.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients who underwent flow-diverter placement for recurrent aneurysms after stent-assisted coiling between March 2015 and March 2019 were recruited. Clinical and radiographic characteristics and clinical and angiographic outcomes were retrospectively evaluated.

RESULTS

Among 133 patients who underwent flow-diverter insertion, 17 (male/female ratio = 5:12; mean age, 53.8 years) were treated for recurrent aneurysms after stent placement with (n = 16) or without (n = 1) coiling. Eight patients initially presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage; 7, with headache; and 2, with visual field defects. Angiographic morphology included large/giant saccular in 12 patients, dissecting in 2, fusiform in 1, traumatic pseudoaneurysm in 1, and ruptured blood blister-like aneurysm in 1. The duration between the first treatment and flow-diverter placement ranged from 2 weeks to 15 months (median, 6 months). Flow-diverter placement was successful in all cases without any complications. All patients had favorable outcomes (mRS, 0-2), without any newly appearing symptoms. Aneurysms were followed up with conventional angiography at least once in 6-18 months. Sixteen aneurysms showed complete occlusion, and 1 aneurysm was enlarged.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from this case series investigating flow-diverter placement for recurrent aneurysms after stent-assisted coiling suggested that the procedure is safe and effective. Further study in a larger population may be warranted.

Comparative effectiveness analysis of Pipeline device versus coiling in unruptured aneurysms smaller than 10 mm

OBJECTIVE

Both endovascular coiling and the Pipeline embolization device (PED) have been shown to be safe and clinically effective for treatment of small (< 10 mm) aneurysms. The authors conducted a comparative effectiveness analysis to compare the utility of these treatment methods in terms of health benefits.

METHODS

A decision-analytical study was performed with Markov modeling methods to simulate patients with small unruptured aneurysms undergoing endovascular coiling, stent-assisted coiling (SAC), or PED placement for treatment. Input probabilities were derived from prior literature, and 1-way, 2-way, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to assess model and input parameter uncertainty.

RESULTS

The base case calculation for a 50-year-old man reveals PED to have a higher health benefit (17.48 quality-adjusted life years [QALYs]) than coiling (17.44 QALYs) or SAC (17.36 QALYs). PED is the better option in 6020 of the 10,000 iterations in probabilistic sensitivity analysis. When the retreatment rate of PED is lower than 9.53%, and the coiling retreatment is higher than 15.6%, PED is the better strategy. In the 2-way sensitivity analysis varying the retreatment rates from both treatment modalities, when the retreatment rate of PED is approximately 14% lower than the retreatment rate of coiling, PED is the more favorable treatment strategy. Otherwise, coiling is more effective. SAC may be better than PED when the unfavorable outcome risk of SAC is lower than 70% of its reported current value.

CONCLUSIONS

With the increasing use of PEDs for treatment of small unruptured aneurysms, the current study indicates that these devices may have higher health benefits due to lower rates of retreatment compared to both simple coiling and stent-assisted techniques. Longer follow-up studies are needed to document the rates of recurrence and retreatment after coiling and PED to assess the cost-effectiveness of these strategies.

Stent-assisted coiling of cerebral aneurysms: multi-center analysis of radiographic and clinical outcomes in 659 patients

INTRODUCTION

The endovascular stent-assisted coiling approach for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms is evolving rapidly with the availability of new stent devices. It remains unknown how each type of stent affects the safety and efficacy of the stent-coiling procedure.

METHODS

This study compared the outcomes of endovascular coiling of cerebral aneurysms using Neuroform (NEU), Enterprise (EP), and Low-profile Visualized Intraluminal Support (LVIS) stents. Patient characteristics, treatment details and angiographic results using the Raymond-Roy grade scale (RRGS), and procedural complications were analyzed in our study.

RESULTS

Our study included 659 patients with 670 cerebral aneurysms treated with stent-assisted coiling (NEU, n=182; EP, n=158; LVIS, n=330) that were retrospectively collected from six academic centers. Patient characteristics included mean age 56.3±12.1 years old, female prevalence 73.9%, and aneurysm rupture on initial presentation of 18.8%. We found differences in complete occlusion on baseline imaging, defined as RRGS I, among the three stents: LVIS 64.4%, 210/326; NEU 56.2%, 95/169; EP 47.6%, 68/143; P=0.008. The difference of complete occlusion on 10.5 months (mean) and 8 months (median) angiographic follow-up remained significant: LVIS 84%, 251/299; NEU 78%, 117/150; EP 67%, 83/123; P=0.004. There were 7% (47/670) intra-procedural complications and 11.5% (73/632) post-procedural-related complications in our cohort. Furthermore, procedure-related complications were higher in the braided-stents vs laser-cut, P=0.002.

CONCLUSIONS

There was a great variability in techniques and choice of stent type for stent-assisted coiling among the participating centers. The type of stent was associated with immediate and long-term angiographic outcomes. Randomized prospective trials comparing the different types of stents are warranted.

The safety and effectiveness of the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) system for the treatment of wide-necked bifurcation aneurysms: final 12-month results of the pivotal WEB Intrasaccular Therapy (WEB-IT) Study

INTRODUCTION

The Woven EndoBridge Intrasaccular Therapy (WEB-IT) Study is a pivotal, prospective, single-arm, investigational device exemption study designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the WEB device for the treatment of wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms.

METHODS

One-hundred and fifty patients with wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms were enrolled at 21 US and six international centers. Angiograms from the index procedure, and 6-month and 1-year follow-up visits were all reviewed by a core laboratory. All adverse events were reviewed and adjudicated by a clinical events adjudicator. A data monitoring committee provided oversight during the trial to ensure subject safety.

RESULTS

One-hundred and forty-eight patients received the WEB implant. One (0.7%) primary safety event occurred during the study-a delayed ipsilateral parenchymal hemorrhage-on postoperative day 22. No primary safety events occurred after 30 days through 1 year. At the 12-month angiographic follow-up, 77/143 patients (53.8%) had complete aneurysm occlusion. Adequate occlusion was achieved in 121/143 (84.6%) subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

The prespecified safety and effectiveness endpoints for the aneurysms studied in the WEB-IT trial were met. The results of this trial suggest that the WEB device provides an option for patients with wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms that is as effective as currently available therapies and markedly safer.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT02191618.