Advantages of Coil Embolization Performed Immediately After Diagnostic Cerebral Digital Subtraction Angiography in Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms: Patients' Perspective

Abstract

We are inevitably faced with the need to perform coil embolization immediately after diagnostic cerebral digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for economic reasons, patient convenience, fear of rupture, and other reasons. Here we report the advantages of coil embolization performed immediately after diagnostic cerebral DSA for unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) from the patients' perspective. Between January 2017 and October 2018, 145 patients were treated for UIAs with endovascular coil embolization at the Yeungnam University Medical Center. There were 87 patients in the group in which coil embolization was to be performed at least 1 week after diagnostic cerebral DSA (regular [R] group) and 58 patients in the group in which coil embolization was to be performed immediately after diagnostic cerebral DSA (immediate [I] group). There were no statistically significant between group differences in any factor analyzed expect for medical expenses (out-of-pocket costs), 2,218,416 KRW (1963 USD) for the R group and 1,128,906 KRW (999 USD) for the I group (P < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the rate of complications between the 2 groups, with 4 minor complications and 1 death in the R group and 3 minor complications and 1 death in the I group. Our findings indicate that coil embolization performed immediately after diagnostic cerebral DSA can be a relatively safe alternative approach to treating patients with UIAs.