Silk flow diverter
seems to be useful in treating complex intracranial aneurysms. A study which
indicated the same was published in 2015 issue of Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery.
An intracranial
aneurysm is an enlargement of an artery in the
brain. Depending on its shape, it can be classified as saccular, fusiform or
blister-shaped. It can burst and result in immediate death. It can also exert
pressure on the surrounding brain. Several treatments are available for
intracranial aneurysm. Among them are flow diverters. Flow diverters are small
devices that are placed in the artery leading to the aneurysm. In due course,
clots form in the aneurysm and with subsequent changes, the aneurysm shrinks in
size.
A study was conducted
to evaluate the benefits of using a type of diverters called SILK Flow
Diverters for treating patients with intracranial aneurysms. Information on 92
patients was obtained from eight centers across Canada between January 2009 and
August 2013. Among the patients included in the study, 16 had aneurysms
located in posterior circulation, whereas in 76 patients aneurysms were in the
anterior circulation of the brain. The aneurysms varied in size from 2 to 60
mm, with saccular shape aneurysms being the most common and constituting 75% of
the cases.
The researchers found
that in patients treated with SILK flow diverters, 83.1% of the aneurysms were
completely or nearly completely occluded during follow-up. The procedure
however was not without complication. Complication rate was higher for
fusiform-shaped aneurysms (p<0.001) than other two forms. Another study was
published in the
Interventional
Neuroradiology Journal, which also showed efficacy of flow diverter
stents in treating aneurysms. The study was conducted on
information obtained from 77 patients with 87 aneurysms who
were treated with two different types of flow diverters: the Pipeline
Embolization Device and SILK flow diverter from October 2010 to
September 2013.
In this study,
the overall aneurysm occlusion rate at 6 months was 80% and at 18 months was
84%. Eleven patients showed complications, out of which three patients died. Thus,
according to studies conducted, flow diverters to be a satisfactory treatment,
especially in the treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms. At present flow
diverters find their application in complex aneurysms, which includes large and
giant aneurysms, wide-neck aneurysms, and recurring aneurysms. In addition,
flow diverters may also be useful in very small ruptured aneurysms which are
untreatable using other techniques. Larger studies are however necessary to
establish their use in clinical practice.
References:
1.
Shankar JJ. et.al. SILK flow diverter for complex intracranial aneurysms: a
Canadian registry.J Neurointerv Surg. 2013 Nov; 5(3): iii 11-5.
2.
Giacomini L, Piske RL, Baccin CE, Barroso M, Joaquim AF, Tedeschi H.
Neurovascular reconstruction with flow diverter stents for the treatment of 87
intracranial aneurysms: Clinical results. Interv Neuroradiol. 2015 Jun;
21(3):292-9.
Source: Medindia
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