Epidemiological Characteristics and Surgical Outcomes of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms: A Real-world Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This study was aimed at epidemiological analysis of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (IAs) regarding their location, size, multiplicity, type of intervention provided, and associated complications in the Kazakhstani population. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of a cohort of 400 patients diagnosed with IA admitted to the Central Clinical Hospital of Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan, a referral hospital for the treatment of cerebrovascular disease. Patients admitted between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019 with radiologically confirmed diagnosis of unruptured IA were included in the study. RESULTS: Overall, there were 400 patients with a 2.8 female/male ratio. The bulk of aneurisms – 96.0% – were of size <25 mm in diameter and single. Median age of patients was 55 years and the youngest patient was 22-years-old, while the oldest patient aged 83 years. The left internal carotid artery (ICA) was the most common site if IA localization followed by the right ICA. The left and right middle cerebral arteries were the second most common localization sites. More than a half of patients presented with aneurysm-related complications before the intervention, of which subarachnoid hemorrhage was the most common type. Embolization with or without stenting was performed in more than 50% of patients and 96.5% of all surgeries were not associated with complications. CONCLUSION: There is a need for careful consideration of clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of patients with unruptured IA in a real-world practice as these data are needed for the development of management strategies.