Abstract
Coil compaction and recanalization of cerebral aneurysms treated with coil embolization continue to be of great concern, especially in patients that presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. The incidence of recanalization reported by previous studies ranges from 12 to 40 percent in experienced centers. We reviewed the incidence of recanalization requiring retreatment in patients treated with GDC 360 framing coils.
A retrospective review of every patient who underwent coil embolization with GDC 360 coils for saccular aneurysms at our institution from December 2004 to March 2008 was performed. We studied the patients' demographics, clinical presentation, aneurysm size and configuration, type of coils used to embolize the aneurysm, the percentage of coils that were GDC 360 in any given aneurysm, the need for remodeling techniques like stent and/or balloon for embolization, immediate complications, cases in which we were unable to frame with the GDC 360 coil, and rate of recanalization on follow-up.
A total of 110 patients (33 men, 77 women) and 114 aneurysms were treated with GDC 360 coils. Ninety-eight aneurysms were framed with the GDC 360 coils. There were two patients in whom the initial GDC 360 coil intended for framing had to be pulled out and exchanged for another type of coil. There were five procedure related complications (4.4%). Four patients required intra-arterial abciximab due to thrombus formation. One patient that presented with a grade III subarachnoid hemorrhage had aneurysm rupture while the coil was being advanced. A total of 50 patients (15 men and 35 women) underwent follow-up femoral cerebral angiograms at least six months after coiling (mean follow-up was 15 months). Forty-four of the patients with follow-up had the GDC 360 coil used as a framing coil. Three patients (6%) required retreatment due to recanalization. Every patient with recanalization requiring treatment had aneurysms of the anterior communicating complex that presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage.
The rate of recanalization of cerebral aneurysms embolized with GDC 360 framing coils was lower in our case series compared to the existing literature reports. Patients with aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery were at increased incidence of recanalization in our patient cohort.