Treatment of unruptured intracranial vertebral artery dissection aneurysms with Flow Diverter compared with conventional stent-assisted coiling—a single-center study

Flow diverters (FDs) are being increasingly used off-label for treatment of intracranial vertebral artery dissection aneurysms (IVADAs). However, the safety and efficacy of FDs for unruptured IVADAs remain unclear. This study was performed to investigate whether FDs-alone are safer and more effective than conventional stent-asisted coiling.

We retrospectively analyzed 152 patients who underwent endovascular stenting from December 2011 to December 2022. The baseline data, aneurysm characteristics, surgical details, perioperative complications, follow-up angiography, and clinical outcomes were collected and compared between patients who underwent stenting with FD-alone versus conventional stent-asisted coiling. Propensity score matching was also conducted.

All 152 patients underwent successful endovascular therapy. Forty patients were treated with FDs-alone, and 112 were treated with conventional stent-asisted coiling (including 62 with double stents). The complete occlusion rate was 93.75% in the FD group and 93.61% in the conventional stent group (p = 0.979). The complication rate was 5.00% in the FD group and 8.93% in the conventional stent group (p = 0.653). The in-stent restenosis rate was 3.13% in the FD group and 5.32% in the conventional stent group (p = 0.615). The procedure duration was significantly shorter in the FD than conventional stent group (p = 0.034). After propensity score matching, 37 patients with FDs were successfully matched, and the procedure duration was still significantly shorter in the FD group (p = 0.042).

FD placement is a safe and effective treatment for IVADAs. It is also a simpler procedure with a shorter operation time than conventional stent placement.

Trial registration number: ChiCTR2300074171

ClinicalTrials.gov ID:NCT06134557