Cost determinants in management of brain arteriovenous malformations.

INTRODUCTION: There is little data on the cost of treating brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). The goal of this study then is to identify cost determinants in multimodal management of brain AVMs. METHODS: One hundred forty patients with brain AVMs prospectively enrolled in the UCSF brain AVM registry and treated between 2012 and 2015 were included in the study. Patient and AVM characteristics, treatment type, and length of stay and radiographic evidence of obliteration were collected from the registry. We then calculated the cost of all inpatient and outpatient encounters, interventions, and imaging attributable to the AVM. We used generalized linear models to test whether there was an association between patient and AVM characteristics, treatment type, and cost and length of stay. We tested whether the proportion of patients with radiographic evidence of obliteration differed between treatment modalities using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The overall median cost of treatment and interquartile range was $77,865 (49,566-107,448). Surgery with preoperative embolization was the costliest treatment at $91,948 (79,914-140,600), while radiosurgery was the least at $20,917 (13,915-35,583). In multi-predictor analyses, hemorrhage, Spetzler-Martin grade, and treatment type were significant predictors of cost. Patients who had surgery had significantly higher rates of obliteration compared with radiosurgery patients. CONCLUSIONS: Hemorrhage, AVM grade, and treatment modality are significant cost determinants in AVM management. Surgery with preoperative embolization was the costliest treatment and radiosurgery the least; however, surgical cases had significantly higher rates of obliteration.

A cost comparative study of Gamma Knife radiosurgery versus open surgery for intracranial pathology.

Resection is the traditional treatment for common intracranial pathologies including brain metastases, arteriovenous malformations (AVM), and acoustic neuromas. However, more recently Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS; Elekta AB, Stockholm, Sweden) has emerged as an effective, alternative treatment modality. There are limited data investigating the cost effectiveness of these two treatment modalities. In this study, we compare the costs of GKRS and open surgical excision. This was a retrospective study including all patients at a single-institution across a 3 year period with at least 12 months of post-resection follow-up for brain metastases, acoustic neuromas, or AVM. The costs of care were then totaled and compared to known average costs for GKRS at the same institution. The average 12 month costs of treating patients with brain metastases, acoustic neuromas, and AVM using open surgery were USD$55,938, $67,538, and $78,332, respectively. The average 12 month costs of treating brain metastases, acoustic neuromas, and AVM with GKRS were USD$23,069, $37,840, and $46,293, respectively. This shows that GKRS was on average 58.8%, 44.0%, and 40.9% of the cost of open surgery for brain metastases, acoustic neuromas, and AVM, respectively. GKRS is a cost effective, first-line, alternative to open surgery for treatment of brain metastatic lesions, acoustic neuromas, and AVM in selected patients. This result conforms to previous studies, which also demonstrate that radiosurgery is the more cost-effective treatment for brain metastases and acoustic neuromas when patients are well suited for either approach. Further prospective studies are needed to show that this result is valid at other institutions.

Comparative effectiveness of treatments for cerebral arteriovenous malformations: trends in nationwide outcomes from 2000 to 2009.

OBJECT: The development of multimodality approaches for the treatment of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), including microsurgery, endovascular therapy, and radiosurgery, has shifted modern treatment paradigms in the last 10 years. This study examines these changes in detail from a nationwide perspective. METHODS: The authors examined data from 2001 to 2009 in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database, and they assessed the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness, including the total number of discharges, discharge proportion, length of stay, and hospital charges. The authors also examined patient demographics (including age, sex, income level, and insurance), hemorrhage status at presentation, and trends in open surgical and endovascular treatment. RESULTS: A total of 33,997 inpatient admissions for patients with a primary diagnosis of intracranial AVM were identified, with a mean of 4191 patients admitted annually. The mean hospital charges increased 2-fold over the study period without significant differences in outcomes. There were substantial differences between surgical, endovascular, radiosurgical, and multimodality treatments. The proportion of AVMs treated microsurgically remained stable over this period, while the proportion treated endovascularly dramatically increased in size, and the data demonstrate important patient-level distinctions among groups. Outcomes and complication profiles were significantly different between treatment modalities and were impacted by age and hemorrhage status. CONCLUSIONS: Charges associated with treatment of cerebral AVMs to the payer and society have increased dramatically over the first decade of the 21st century without clear improvements in quality parameters. However, analysis of the 3 primary treatment modalities has demonstrated differences and warrants further investigation to understand which patient population would benefit maximally from each. Unfortunately, with only imprecise measurements of quality in health care delivery, it remains imperative to develop national databases in which parameters, such as survival, functional outcomes, quality of life, and complication rates, can be assessed to examine the value of care delivered in a more meaningful way. Demonstrating an ever-increasing value of delivered health care will be imperative in our evolving health care system.

Economic burden of intracranial vascular malformations in adults: prospective population-based study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although intracranial vascular malformations (IVMs) are the leading cause of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in young adults, there has not been a cost-of-illness study on an unselected cohort. METHODS: We measured the direct healthcare costs (inpatient, outpatient, intervention, and brain imaging) incurred by every adult within 3 years after their first presentation with a brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) or cavernous malformation (CM) in a prospective, population-based study. We estimated the indirect cost of lost productivity for the whole cohort over the same period by projecting questionnaire responses from living consenting adults. RESULTS: 369 adults (AVM=229 [62%], CM=140 [38%]) incurred healthcare costs of pound 5.96 million over 3 years, of which AVMs accounted for 90%, inpatient care accounted for 75%, and the first year of care accounted for 69%. Median 3-year healthcare costs were statistically significantly higher for adults presenting with ICH, aged <65 years, receiving interventional treatment, and adults with AVMs rather than CMs ( pound 15,784 versus pound 1385, P<0.0005). Healthcare costs diminished with increasing AVM nidus size (P=0.005). Mean 3-year costs of lost productivity per questionnaire respondent (n=145) were pound 17,111 for AVMs and pound 6752 for CMs (P=0.1), and the projected 3-year cost of lost productivity for all 369 adults was pound 8.7 million. CONCLUSIONS: The costs of healthcare and lost productivity attributable to IVMs are considerable, and highest in those aged <65 years, presenting with ICH, receiving interventional treatment, and harboring AVMs rather than CMs. Long-term studies of the cost-effectiveness of interventional treatment are needed.

Direct costs of microsurgical management of radiosurgically amenable intracranial pathology in Germany: an analysis of meningiomas, acoustic neuromas, metastases and arteriovenous malformations of less than 3 cm in diameter.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the analysis was to appreciate and compare the effective direct costs of microsurgical treatment of intracranial pathology potentially amenable to radiosurgery as they arose in 1998-99. METHOD: Treatment costs of 127 microsurgically treated patients harbouring an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), acoustic nEuroma, meningioma or brain metastasis potentially amenable to radiosurgery were reviewed. Costs for the surgical procedure, ICU care, medical and nursing care on the ward, interclinical bills (ICB) for services provided by other departments and the overhead for basic hotel service were added. For comparison Gamma Knife costs were calculated by dividing the global operating cost of the Gamma Knife centre by the number of patients treated in 1999. FINDINGS: Average hospitalisation time for the entire microsurgical patients was 15,4+/-8,6 days. The patients spent an average of 1,2+/-2,8 days on ICU. Average operating time for all patients, including preparation, was 393+/-118 minutes. Average costs for the microsurgical therapy were Euro10.814+/-6.108. These consisted of Euro1417+/-426 for the surgical procedure, Euro1.188+/-2.658 for ICU care, Euro2.333+/-1.582 for medical and nursing care on the ward, Euro1.671+/-1.433 for interclinical bills and Euro 4.204+/-2.338 for basic hotel service (overhead, Euro273/day). 70% of the microsurgically treated patients needed ancillary inpatient rehabilitation or radiotherapy resulting in an average additional cost for all patients of Euro2.744. Furthermore 20% of the microsurgically treated patients required an unplanned readmission after discharge, resulting in an average additional costs for all patients of Euro1.684. Average overall costs per patient including ancillary therapy and unplanned readmissions amounted to Euro15.242. For comparison, Gamma Knife treatment costs per patient amounted to Euro7.920 in 1999. INTERPRETATION: The current analysis showed that for established radiosurgical indications the primary costs of microsurgery exceeded the costs of radiosurgery. Differences with regard to additional expenses as a consequence of disability were not addressed in this study. Microsurgical management as well as Gamma Knife radiosurgery have potential for economic improvement.

Determinants of resource utilization in the treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Preoperative embolization of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is thought to improve outcome following surgical resection of these lesions. The purpose of this study was to examine the cost associated with preoperative embolization and different surgical risk categories in the surgical treatment of brain AVMs. METHODS: In a review of 126 patients treated surgically for resection of AVMs, we noted the total days spent in the hospital and calculated the associated costs (from hospital and estimated professional fees). Surgical risk category was determined using the Spetzler-Martin grading system. We examined the effect of risk category, preoperative embolization, and outcome (Rankin score) on cost and inpatient days. RESULTS: Preoperative embolization and greater surgical risk were independently associated with higher total costs. Average adjusted cost for embolization and surgery was $78,400 +/- $4,900 versus $49,300 +/- $5,800 for surgery alone. Patients ranged in preoperative risk category from Spetzler-Martin grades II through V, with an average increase of $20,100 in total cost per Spetzler-Martin grade (95% CI, $13,500 to $28,100). Higher surgical risk category was also associated with more days spent in hospital, with an average increase of 6 days per increment in Spetzler-Martin grade (95% CI, 4 to 8). After surgical resection of an AVM, new neurologic deficits were associated with large differences in cost: $68,500 +/- $6,100 and 15 +/- 2 days in hospital for patients who were neurologically worse after surgery, versus $44,700 +/- $3,900 and 10 +/- 1 days for patients who were unchanged. CONCLUSION: Preoperative embolization in the treatment of AVMs is associated with higher cost but not more days in the hospital. Patients with higher Spetzler-Martin grade AVMs utilize more hospital resources, in part because they have poorer neurologic outcome, and postoperative deficits are associated with higher costs and more days in the hospital.

Surgery versus stereotactic radiosurgery for small, operable cerebral arteriovenous malformations: a clinical and cost comparison.

OBJECTIVE: Cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) may cause stroke and death in young patients. For small AVMs, the major curative treatment options are surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery (SR). Although the initial costs and risks of SR are less, there is a latency to cure and ultimately the success rate is lower than with surgery. Thus, these two treatment modalities were compared with respect to clinical outcomes and associated costs by means of a cost-effectiveness analysis. METHODS: A decision analysis model was developed using Smltree software (J.P. Hollenberg, Roslyn, NY). Probability estimates for cure and complications for both therapies were derived from the literature. Utility values for minor and major stroke were measured in patients with AVMs who were treated at the University of Toronto clinic, using the standard gamble technique. Costs were obtained from several sources, including the case costing systems of several hospitals in Ontario, Canada. RESULTS: Surgery confers a 0.98 quality-adjusted life year (QALY) advantage over SR, at an additional cost of $6937 per patient. Thus, from a societal perspective, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio is $7100 per QALY for a patient treated surgically. The result is sensitive to only two variables: surgical morbidity and surgical mortality. However, the preferred treatment strategy changes to favor SR only at the extreme high end of the possible range for these variables, when the rate of permanent neurological morbidity resulting from surgery exceeds 12% or the surgical mortality rate exceeds 4%. CONCLUSIONS: In the treatment of small AVMs, surgery confers a large clinical benefit over SR. The reason is that surgery protects the patient from hemorrhage earlier and with greater success than does SR. The associated cost-effectiveness ratio, $7100/QALY, is highly economically attractive. Therefore, surgery achieves important improvements in clinical outcomes and is associated with an excellent ratio of incremental costs per QALY gained.

Cost-effectiveness of endovascular therapy in the surgical management of cerebral arteriovenous malformations.

PURPOSE: To determine the economic effect of endovascular therapy in conjunction with surgery for cerebral arteriovenous malformations. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with arteriovenous malformations treated with embolization and surgical excision or embolization alone were compared with reported results in 475 patients who underwent surgery only. Respective mean morbidity and mortality rates were calculated and a cost-effectiveness analysis was performed in terms of costs of hospitalization, professional fees, and other direct procedural and indirect costs. Quality-adjusted life-years saved were also calculated. RESULTS: The net effective treatment cost per cure was $71 366 (in 1992 dollars) for embolization and surgery compared with $78 506 for surgery alone. This resulted in a 9% average savings per treated patient. Cost per quality-adjusted life-year calculations resulted in a cost of $6734 for embolization and surgery and $9814 for surgical treatment alone, with savings as high as 34% when endovascular therapy was used. CONCLUSION: Endovascular therapy in conjunction with surgery resulted in significant economic benefits for treatment of cerebral arteriovenous malformations.

Cost accounting the Gamma Knife.

The cost of the three dominant technologies for delivering radiosurgery to the brain are compared. Included in the analysis is the cost of the equipment and labor costs for each procedure. Once a unit is treating more than 100 patients per year the Gamma Knife becomes the most cost-effective technology by a factor of almost 100%. These findings are primarily a result of the greater labor input required for alternate technologies.