Spontaneous thrombosis of type II vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation: a case report.

Vein of Galen malformations (VGAMs) are rare and complex congenital brain vascular anomalies that pose significant diagnostic and treatment challenges. The natural history of this type of vascular anomaly is very poor, with many patients succumbing to complications such as congestive heart failure, hydrocephalus, and brain parenchymal injury. Although the clinical course of most VGAMs was considered unfortunate, with meticulous imaging, a group of lesions with a more placid presentation and course can be identified.

Comaneci stent-angioplasty for the optimization of inadequately deployed flow diverter stents.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In endovascular procedures, inadequate deployment of a flow diverter stent is a highly concerning technical complication that can lead to acute parent vessel occlusion and ischaemic events. This study aimed to assess the off-label use of the Comaneci device in managing technical difficulties associated with flow diversion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an analysis of all flow diverter procedures documented in our prospectively collected database. Our objective was to identify patients with inadequately deployed implants who underwent Comaneci stent-angioplasty. Both Comaneci 17 and Comaneci 21 devices were utilized to address and remediate technical complications related to stent deployment. We reviewed anatomical features, technical details, intraprocedural complications, as well as clinical and angiographic outcomes. RESULTS: Thirty-one Comaneci devices were employed to remediate 31 inadequately deployed flow diverter stents. Successful resolution of technical complications associated with flow diverter placement was achieved in all attempted cases. No clinically significant complications were attributed to the technique, and no mortality was observed during the study. CONCLUSION: Technical issues arising from flow diverter stent deployment are formidable complications. Familiarity with appropriate corrective manoeuvres is essential to achieve successful outcomes. The Comaneci device can be safely and effectively incorporated into the range of techniques used to rectify inadequately deployed stents.

Endovascular treatment of wide-necked intracranial aneurysms using the Nautilus Intrasaccular System: initial case series of 41 patients at a single center.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular treatment of intracranial wide-necked and bifurcation aneurysms (WNBA) is technically challenging. The Nautilus Intrasaccular System is designed to provide a mechanical barrier at the aneurysm neck to support coil embolization. We report the results of a single-center series of patients treated for intracranial aneurysms with the Nautilus. METHODS: Clinical and radiological data were retrospectively collected for all patients treated with the Nautilus for an unruptured or ruptured intracranial aneurysm at our center between March 2021 and March 2022. Clinical outcomes (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores), Raymond-Roy angiographic occlusion, recanalization, and complications were measured immediately post-procedure and at 3-6-month follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 41 patients of mean age 56.7 years (range 37-83 years) were treated with the Nautilus, with 41 saccular aneurysms (18 (43.9%) unruptured and 23 (56.1%) ruptured). The majority of aneurysms (39/41 (95.1%)) were located in the anterior circulation. We experienced no technical complications. One patient had an asymptomatic post-procedural minor stroke related to the procedure. Immediate Class I occlusion was achieved in 30 (73.1%) patients. The rate of all-cause mortality was 7.3% (3/41). One patient was lost to follow-up. At follow-up, 94.5% (35/37) of patients achieved Class I occlusion and 94.5% (35/37) had an mRS score of 0. There were no procedural-related deaths or permanent morbidities at discharge or follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates good safety and effectiveness using the Nautilus Intrasaccular System to treat both ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Mechanical Comaneci 17-stent angioplasty for a sub-optimally deployed flow-diverter stent.

Flow diverter stents are increasingly used as the sole endovascular treatment method for complex or wide-necked intracranial aneurysms.1 Technical complications related to stent deployment are infrequently reported in the literature. During treatment, implant misbehaviors may occur, including incomplete tubular expansion with insufficient aneurysmal coverage and wall apposition, proximal or distal narrowing, and twisting along the axis.2- 4 Little is known about this phenomenon, especially if it relates to the operator experience, deployment techniques, different devices, and implant properties. The management of these complications requires technical precision and is often remediated by "massaging" the stent with the delivery system, balloon angioplasty, or placement of additional self-expandable stents. Lastly, if critically damaged, the stent could be taken out of the vessel with a combination of maneuvers called "stentectomy."5 These techniques often necessitate multiple navigations and the utilization of a larger microcatheter. We aim to highlight the feasibility of Comaneci 17 stent-angioplasty as an effective bailout strategy for inadequately deployed flow diverter stents. The suggested approach's technical aspects, including pros and cons, have been discussed.

Progressive volume reduction and long-term aneurysmal collapse following flow diversion treatment of giant and symptomatic cerebral aneurysms.

Background: The primary goal of conventional endovascular and microvascular approaches is the clinical and radiological resolution of the symptomatic aneurysm-induced mass effect. This study assessed the volume changes and mass effect reduction due to sac shrinkage after treatment with flow diverter stents (FD) for unruptured cerebral aneurysms. Methods: We analyzed retrospectively 36 symptomatic aneurysms that were larger or equal to 25 mm in diameter in patients treated at our center from January 2016 to April 2022. Radiological and clinical outcomes were analyzed, including aneurysmal volume changes and resolution of aneurysm-related symptoms. Results: At 6 months, 25 aneurysms decreased in size, 2 remained unchanged, and 9 aneurysms demonstrated a post-treatment dimensional increase. At 12 months, 30 aneurysms showed a progressive radiological volume reduction. Either no change or negligible shrinkage was observed in the remaining six aneurysms. At 24 months, 32 aneurysms showed aneurysmal shrinkage by a mean 47% volume loss with respect to baseline. At the last follow-up, all 13 patients who had presented with third cranial nerve palsy showed improvements. Complete reversal of the pretreatment edematous changes was confirmed in all cases. The overall post-treatment complication rate was 8.3%, as 3 patients experienced non-fatal delayed rupture of their aneurysm. There was no mortality in this study. Conclusion: Flow diversion could effectively induce progressive aneurysmal shrinkage and resolution of the mass effect associated with giant symptomatic cerebral aneurysms.

Flow Diversion for the Management of Ruptured Intracranial Arterial Infudibular Dilatation: Proof of Principle and Therapeutic Protocol.

Thought to be benign anatomical variants, cerebral infundibular dilatations (ID) are most commonly encountered at the junction of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and the posterior communicating artery (PcomA). The true nature of this entity remains controversial, as some literature reports suggest they should be considered preaneurysmal lesions and a potential source of devastating subarachnoid hemorrhage. This report describes cases of presumably ruptured IDs and their therapeutic endovascular management. We retrospectively reviewed and analyzed patients with isolated subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) where the only potential cause was ruptured cerebral IDs, treated or not, between January 2012 and June 2021. Morphological and radiological features, treatment and procedural considerations, clinical and angiographic outcomes were also reviewed. Natural history of the ID is poorly understood, and its relation to SAH remains controversial. Ruptured cerebral IDs can be the suspected cause of bleeding if no other vascular lesion is present during multimodal examinations. Endovascular flow diversion stenting is safe and effective for the proper treatment of ruptured IDs. Pending further validations with longitudinal data are needed to legitimate the natural course of these mysterious lesions.

Developmental venous anomaly causing obstructive hydrocephalus due to aqueductal stenosis: а case report.

Cerebral developmental venous anomalies are asymptomatic benign cerebrovascular malformations that are commonly found accidentally on brain magnetic resonance imaging. It is not uncommon for cerebrospinal fluid flow to be obstructed at the level of the aqueduct of Sylvius, causing an obstructive non-communicating hydrocephalus. Most notable reasons for such an obstruction at that level are tumors, congenital etiology, or post-inflammatory gliotic atresia.

Nautilus-Assisted Coiling of an Unruptured Wide-Necked Aneurysm of the Posterior Communicating Artery.

A variety of recently introduced devices have allowed more complex aneurysms to be rendered for endovascular embolization. Tiny and sophisticated implants are nowadays designed to provide further either temporary or permanent remodeling of the wide-necked aneurysms and improve coil occlusion rates.1-4 Such improvements in the technical armamentarium include the Woven EndoBridge (Sequent Medical, California, USA), the Medina Embolic Device (Medtronic, Irvine, California, USA), The Contour Neurovascular System (Cerus Endovascular, Fremont, California, USA), and pCONUS 2 HPC (Phenox, GmbH, Bohum, Germany).5-7 Intrasaccular neck bridging is a conceptually new technique descending from the theoretical combination of intrasaccular flow diversion and temporary-stent assisted coiling.8 The Nautilus (EndoStream Medical, Tel Aviv, Israel) is an intrasaccular bridging device that offers complete neck reconstruction in coil embolization of wide-neck cerebral aneurysms. It has been granted a CE mark by the European Union. The detachable intrasaccular implant comprises flexible and "tornado-like"-shaped Nitinol-based layers. The device is compatible with a standard microcatheter with minimal 0.0165″ inner diameter and is fully radiopaque and fully resheathable. The device's intrasaccular nature and the fact that it does not harbor any intraluminal satellite parts suggest that the implant can be safely used in both unruptured and ruptured case scenarios without the need for dual antiplatelet therapy. This is what we consider a great advantage of the proposed technique over the alternative options of intrasaccular and intraluminal flow diversion. This technical video (Video 1) demonstrates the successful obliteration of a complex posterior communicating artery aneurysm with Nautilus-assisted endovascular coiling. To our knowledge, this is the first technical video demonstrating an in-vivo and step-by-step implementation of this novel device.

Spontaneous Direct Carotid-Cavernous Fistula in an Elderly Patient.

We describe the case of an 83-year-old woman with left-sided ophthalmoplegia. She had no family history of connective tissue disease. The computed tomography study found a dilated left cavernous sinus. The conventional cerebral panangiography confirmed the diagnosis - a direct carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF), with no evidence of ruptured aneurysm. The woman underwent endovascular treatment with coiling of the cavernous sinus in combination with application of the Onyx embolic agent in the fistula. During the first 48 hours after the embolization the local pain, exophthalmos and conjunctival injection of the left eye were significantly ameliorated. The pulsatile tinnitus on the left disappeared and the ptosis of the left eyelid partially recovered. Selective angiography is the best method for the diagnosis and classification of CCF. Currently, treatment is possible with low mortality and morbidity rates. The endovascular intervention is able to completely occlude the fistula and maintain adequate blood fl ow through the carotid artery.