Trends in Ruptured and Unruptured Aneurysmal Treatment from 2010 to 2020: A Focus on Flow Diversion

Abstract

Flow diverters are a promising new tool in the neurosurgeon's arsenal for aneurysm management. We sought to quantify the trends of flow diversion in comparison to traditional endovascular coiling and surgical clip ligation techniques in the US from 2010- 2020 with an emphasis on aneurysm location and preferences in usage for ruptured versus unruptured aneurysms. In this large cross-sectional study, patients aged 18 and older within the MARINER database were analyzed. Descriptive characteristics were calculated for all included patients. Chi-square tests were used to compare categorical variables. P values < 0.05 were statistically significant. A total of 45,542 procedures were conducted in the US from 2010-2020 (clipping: 14,491, coiling: 28,840, flow diversion: 2,211). The Southern US had the largest operative volume across all three intervention types, closely followed by the Midwest. Aneurysms of the middle cerebral artery were mostly clipped, whereas coiling and flow diversion techniques were most utilized for anterior communicating and posterior communicating artery aneurysms. Flow diversion is growing most rapidly in the treatment of unruptured aneurysms, though there were also significant increases in usage for ruptured aneurysm treatment from 2019-2020. Flow diverters have gained significant traction in the treatment for both unruptured and ruptured aneurysms. In the coming years, the indications and use of flow diversion will undoubtedly grow further, but excitement over their application should be tempered by the safety and efficacy data that continues to emerge.