Transradial approach for endovascular diagnosis and treatment of ruptured cerebral aneurysms: A descriptive study

BACKGROUND: For cardiovascular procedures, the transradial approach has been documented to yield fewer complications than the femoral approach. It has become the approach of choice for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions involving the coronary arteries. However, few published data exist on using this approach for neuroendovascular procedures and we describe a series of ruptured cerebral aneurysms diagnosed and treated using the transradial approach. METHODS: All patients scheduled for cerebral angiography to diagnose and treat subarachnoid hemorrhages at our hospital from June 2016 to May 2018, by right radial artery access, were recruited and followed prospectively. The main outcomes of interest were the length of the procedure (in minutes), the success of treatment, and the incidence of postprocedural complications. RESULTS: Over the observation period, 59 patients (66% women, mean age = 48 years) with a combined 61 aneurysms treated were identified who met inclusion criteria. Of the 61 aneurysms treated, eight (13%) were within the posterior circulation (13%) and 53 (87%) the anterior circulation. Average procedural duration was 64.9 min. No occlusion or spasm of the radial artery was observed during any procedure. All patients had immediate pre- and post-embolization angiography, which revealed the guide catheter coming from the right subclavian artery. A radial pulse was evident after all interventions. All procedures were considered successful at treating the ruptured aneurysm, and no patient experienced a clinically significant complication related to the approach. CONCLUSIONS: The transradial approach is a viable option for the diagnosis and endovascular treatment of acute cerebral aneurysms in different locations.