Practical Feasibility and Packing Density of Endovascular Coiling Using Target® Nano™ Coils in Small Cerebral Aneurysms

OBJECTIVE: Based on the use of Nano™ coils, we retrospectively compared the proportion of the coils (≤ 1.5 mm) and packing density in two patient groups with small cerebral aneurysms (< 4 mm diameter) who were treated with or without Nano™ coils. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2012 and November 2013, in 548 cerebral aneurysms treated by endovascular coiling, 143 patients with 148 small cerebral aneurysms underwent endovascular coiling. After March 2013, coiling with Nano™ coils was performed on 45 small cerebral aneurysms (30.4%). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the size and locations of the cerebral aneurysms, the age of the patients, and the procedural modalities between the two groups. The proportion of the coil (≤ 1.5 mm) of the group treated with Nano™ coils (53.6%) was higher than the proportion of the coil (≤ 1.5 mm) of the group treated without Nano™ coils (14.7%) with statistical significance (p < 0.001). The packing density of the group treated with Nano™ coils (31.3 ± 9.69%) was higher than the packing density of the group treated without Nano™ coils (29.49 ± 7.84%), although the difference was not significant. Procedural complications developed in 3 lesions (2 thromboembolisms and 1 carotid dissection) (2.0%). Treatment-related transient neurological deficits due to thromboembolism developed in 1 lesion, which had not been treated with Nano™ coils. There was no treatment-related permanent morbidity or mortality in either of the groups. CONCLUSION: In our series, the small cerebral aneurysms treated with Nano™ coils showed more packing density with no additive procedural risk or difficulty.