Initial experience with Scepter Mini dual lumen balloon for embolization of cerebrovascular diseases

Objective@#Endovascular treatment of cerebrovascular diseases is often challenging due to small caliber, tortuous distal vessels. Several devices and techniques have evolved to overcome these challenges. Recently, a low profile dual lumen microballoon catheter, specifically designed for distal navigation is employed for neurovascular procedures. Due to its recent advent, scarce data is available on clinical utility and safety of Scepter Mini. The aim of this case series is to report our initial experience with Scepter Mini in the management of various cerebrovascular diseases. @*Methods@#All interventional neurovascular cases performed using Scepter Mini between January 2020 till April 2021 were included. Data regarding patient demographics, procedural details and complications was retrospectively collected from patient’s electronic medical record and procedure reports. @*Results@#Total twelve embolization procedures were performed in eleven patients, including six brain arteriovenous malformation, two dural arteriovenous fistula, one vein of Galen malformation and three hyper-vascular glomus tumor embolizations. All procedures were successfully performed with adequate penetration of the embolic agent. Complete embolization was performed in six procedures, while intended partial embolization was performed in the rest of procedures. Scepter Mini was solely used in ten procedures, however in the other two embolization procedures it was used as an additional conjunct tool to complete the intended embolization. No balloon related complication was observed in any procedure. @*Conclusions@#Scepter Mini dual lumen microballoon catheter is safe and feasible for delivery of liquid embolic agents for cerebrovascular embolization procedures.

A bibliometric analysis on the most-cited publications on carotid endarterectomy throughout history

Objective@#Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is the gold standard surgical procedure for managing carotid stenosis due to atherosclerosis and reducing the risk of ischemic stroke. This bibliometric analysis summarizes the most-cited articles on CEA and highlights the contributing articles to today’s evidence-based practice. @*Methods@#A title-specific search using the Scopus database was used to perform the search. Pertinent article-based, journal-based, and author-based parameters were obtained for review. @*Results@#A total of 6,824 articles were published between 1970 and 2020. The top 100 most-cited articles accumulated a total of 54,153 citations with an average citation count (CC) of 541, with only a 4.53% self-citation rate for all authors. The publication trends peaked between 1997 and 2010, in which two-third of the highly cited works were published. The most prolific categories with top citations are the clinical, indications, and management, in a descending order. There were 41 published Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) in the most-cited list. @*Conclusions@#Citation analysis on carotid endarterectomy has witnessed a marked shift in the publication trends from studying the outcome and complications to comparing carotid stenting with endarterectomy. This analysis is a good introductory article to physicians interested in this topic, as it summarizes the highly impactful articles and enlists the most-cited RCT on CEA.

The Top-100 most cited articles on dural arteriovenous fistula: A bibliometric analysis

Objective@#Dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) is a rare pathological vascular lesion with variable clinical manifestations. Since 1968, several articles have been published to address spinal and cranial DAVFs. The aim of this study is to identify, analyse, and review the pertinent literature of the top-100 most cited articles on DAVFs published to date. @*Methods@#A title-specific, keyword-based search with no time restriction was performed in June 2020. The Scopus database was used to identify the top-100 most cited articles on DAVFs. The term “dural arteriovenous fistula” was used as a search keyword. The search results were arranged in descending order based on the total citation count. The top-100 articles were categorized into ten categories. @*Results@#Between 1968 and 2020, a total of 2298 articles were published on DAVFs. The top-100 most cited articles were published between 1983 and 2012. The total number of citations for the top-100 articles was 12393 (123 citations/article). Most articles (34%) were investigating the clinical aspect of DAVFs. The country contributing to the most impactful and highest volume of publications (46%) was the United States. The Mayo Clinic was the most active institute in contribution. Most articles (29%) were published by the Journal of Neurosurgery. @*Conclusions@#In the top-100 most cited articles on DAVF, most studies were published in neurosurgeryeuroradiology-dedicated journals. This bibliometric analysis identifies the publication trends and provides a comprehensive overview of the most influential articles addressing DAVFs.

The Top-100 most cited articles on Moyamoya disease: A bibliometric analysis

Objective@#Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a progressive steno-occlusive cerebrovascular phenomenon with unknown pathogenesis. Considering the abundance of articles addressing Moyamoya disease, a detailed analysis concerning the publication trends is of paramount importance. The aim of the study is to report the current knowledge of the top-100 most cited articles on Moyamoya disease in the literature. @*Methods@#A non-time restricted keyword-based search was performed in June 2020 using the Scopus database. The search keywords included the following: “Moyamoya”, “Moyamoya disease”, and “Moyamoya syndrome”. The search result was used to rank the articles based on their citation count. The top-100 most-cited articles were obtained and classified into seven categories. @*Results@#A total of 3,543 articles on Moyamoya disease were published between 1955 and 2020. The Top-100 articles were published between 1977 and 2016 with a total of 16,119 citations, per year, and 7.23% rate of self-citation. The 1990s was the most productive decade (N=42). The most contributing country to the list was Japan (N=60). Stroke was the most active journal (N=23). Houkin, K., a Japanese neurosurgeon, was the most prolific author (N=15). @*Conclusions@#Moyamoya disease has been extensively investigated in the literature throughout the years. The majority of articles published in the literature were addressing the surgical management and clinical outcome. Authors from neurosurgical backgrounds were the most active contributors to the field of Moyamoya disease.

Salvage flow diverter stent across the posterior communicating artery for persistent retrograde filling of a giant internal carotid artery aneurysm after parent vessel occlusion

Giant internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms are complex vascular lesions which are difficult to treat with open as well as endovascular surgery. Parent vessel occlusion is a well-established treatment option for such aneurysms. However, there have been a few reported cases of ruptured aneurysms related to the persistent retrograde filling after parent vessel occlusion. We report a case which highlights the usage of the flow diverter stent as a potential treatment strategy for the management of retrograde filling of aneurysms. A 54-year-old female was found to have a giant left ICA aneurysm on a brain magnetic resonance imaging during workup for headaches. She underwent occlusion of the left ICA proximal to the aneurysm using multiple coils. However, follow up angiograms after 6 months and 2 years demonstrated persistent retrograde filling of the left ICA aneurysm through the posterior communicating (PCOM) artery. Eventually, she was successfully treated with a flow diverter stent across the PCOM artery into the distal ICA. Follow up angiogram after 6 months showed patent flow in the PCOM artery and the distal ICA. with complete occlusion of the aneurysm. Using a flow diverter stent after insufficient parent vessel occlusion for giant intracranial aneurysms may be a feasible treatment option and an addition to the neurovascular treatment armamentarium.

The Top-100 most cited articles on dural arteriovenous fistula: A bibliometric analysis

Objective@#Dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) is a rare pathological vascular lesion with variable clinical manifestations. Since 1968, several articles have been published to address spinal and cranial DAVFs. The aim of this study is to identify, analyse, and review the pertinent literature of the top-100 most cited articles on DAVFs published to date. @*Methods@#A title-specific, keyword-based search with no time restriction was performed in June 2020. The Scopus database was used to identify the top-100 most cited articles on DAVFs. The term “dural arteriovenous fistula” was used as a search keyword. The search results were arranged in descending order based on the total citation count. The top-100 articles were categorized into ten categories. @*Results@#Between 1968 and 2020, a total of 2298 articles were published on DAVFs. The top-100 most cited articles were published between 1983 and 2012. The total number of citations for the top-100 articles was 12393 (123 citations/article). Most articles (34%) were investigating the clinical aspect of DAVFs. The country contributing to the most impactful and highest volume of publications (46%) was the United States. The Mayo Clinic was the most active institute in contribution. Most articles (29%) were published by the Journal of Neurosurgery. @*Conclusions@#In the top-100 most cited articles on DAVF, most studies were published in neurosurgeryeuroradiology-dedicated journals. This bibliometric analysis identifies the publication trends and provides a comprehensive overview of the most influential articles addressing DAVFs.

The Top-100 most cited articles on Moyamoya disease: A bibliometric analysis

Objective@#Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a progressive steno-occlusive cerebrovascular phenomenon with unknown pathogenesis. Considering the abundance of articles addressing Moyamoya disease, a detailed analysis concerning the publication trends is of paramount importance. The aim of the study is to report the current knowledge of the top-100 most cited articles on Moyamoya disease in the literature. @*Methods@#A non-time restricted keyword-based search was performed in June 2020 using the Scopus database. The search keywords included the following: “Moyamoya”, “Moyamoya disease”, and “Moyamoya syndrome”. The search result was used to rank the articles based on their citation count. The top-100 most-cited articles were obtained and classified into seven categories. @*Results@#A total of 3,543 articles on Moyamoya disease were published between 1955 and 2020. The Top-100 articles were published between 1977 and 2016 with a total of 16,119 citations, per year, and 7.23% rate of self-citation. The 1990s was the most productive decade (N=42). The most contributing country to the list was Japan (N=60). Stroke was the most active journal (N=23). Houkin, K., a Japanese neurosurgeon, was the most prolific author (N=15). @*Conclusions@#Moyamoya disease has been extensively investigated in the literature throughout the years. The majority of articles published in the literature were addressing the surgical management and clinical outcome. Authors from neurosurgical backgrounds were the most active contributors to the field of Moyamoya disease.

Salvage flow diverter stent across the posterior communicating artery for persistent retrograde filling of a giant internal carotid artery aneurysm after parent vessel occlusion

Giant internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms are complex vascular lesions which are difficult to treat with open as well as endovascular surgery. Parent vessel occlusion is a well-established treatment option for such aneurysms. However, there have been a few reported cases of ruptured aneurysms related to the persistent retrograde filling after parent vessel occlusion. We report a case which highlights the usage of the flow diverter stent as a potential treatment strategy for the management of retrograde filling of aneurysms. A 54-year-old female was found to have a giant left ICA aneurysm on a brain magnetic resonance imaging during workup for headaches. She underwent occlusion of the left ICA proximal to the aneurysm using multiple coils. However, follow up angiograms after 6 months and 2 years demonstrated persistent retrograde filling of the left ICA aneurysm through the posterior communicating (PCOM) artery. Eventually, she was successfully treated with a flow diverter stent across the PCOM artery into the distal ICA. Follow up angiogram after 6 months showed patent flow in the PCOM artery and the distal ICA. with complete occlusion of the aneurysm. Using a flow diverter stent after insufficient parent vessel occlusion for giant intracranial aneurysms may be a feasible treatment option and an addition to the neurovascular treatment armamentarium.