Long-Term Durability of Open Surgical versus Endovascular Repair of Intracranial Aneurysms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The long-term durability of different modalities of intracranial aneurysm repair remains unclear. The aim of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis comparing long-term rates of intracranial aneurysm recurrence, retreatment, and rebleeding after surgical clipping or endovascular treatment (EVT). METHODS: A systematic review of PubMed and Embase was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines and a meta-analysis was conducted. Cohort studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a surgical and an endovascular arm of ≥10 patients each and a median follow-up of ≥3 years were included. Pooled-effect estimates for reported outcomes were calculated using the random-effects model; sensitivity analysis was performed using the fixed-effects model. RESULTS: Of 4876 articles, 11 studies including 3 RCTs comprising 4517 patients were analyzed. Coiling was the modality of EVT in all included studies. In the random-effects model, coiling was associated with an increased relative risk of 8.1 for recurrence (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.8-17.2), 4.5 for retreatment (95% CI, 3.4-5.9), and 2.1 for rebleeding (95% CI, 1.3-3.5); the fixed-effects model yielded similar results. Meta-regression by study design, length of follow-up, age, aneurysm size, ruptured versus unruptured aneurysms, or posterior versus anterior location did not yield significant results (all P interactions >0.05). No significant publication bias was identified. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate better long-term durability of clipping compared with coiling-based EVT. The relatively high incidence of recurrence and retreatment after coiling should be considered when determining treatment strategy.

The Neurological Compromised Spine Due to Ewing Sarcoma. What First: Surgery or Chemotherapy? Therapy, Survival, and Neurological Outcome of 15 Cases With Primary Ewing Sarcoma of the Vertebral Column.

BACKGROUND: The vertebral column is an infrequent site of primary involvement in Ewing sarcoma. Yet when Ewing sarcoma is found in the spine, the urge for decompression is high because of the often symptomatic compression of neural structures. It is unclear in alleviating a neurological deficit whether chemotherapy is preferred over decompressive laminectomy. OBJECTIVE: To underline, in this case series, the efficiency of initial chemotherapy before upfront surgery in the setting of high-grade spinal cord or cauda equina compression of primary Ewing sarcoma. METHODS: Fifteen patients with Ewing sarcoma primarily located in the spine were treated at our institution between 1983 and 2015. Localization, neurological deficit expressed as Frankel grade, and outcome expressed as Rankin scale before and after initial chemotherapy, the recurrence rate, and overall survival were evaluated. The multidisciplinary approach of 1 case will be discussed in detail. RESULTS: Nine patients (60%) were female. The age at presentation was 15.0 ± 5.5 years (range: 0.9-22.8 years). Ten patients (67%) were initially treated with chemotherapy, and 1 patient (7%) was treated primarily with radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy. The remaining 4 patients (27%) were initially treated with decompressive surgery. All patients treated primarily nonsurgically improved neurologically at follow-up, showing the importance of chemotherapy as an effective initial treatment option. CONCLUSION: Adequate and quick decompression of neural structures with similar results can be achieved by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, avoiding the local spill of malignant cells.