Flow-diverting devices in the treatment of unruptured ophthalmic segment aneurysms at a mean clinical follow-up of 5 years

A shift toward the endovascular treatment of ophthalmic segment aneurysms is noticeable. However, it is not clear if the long-term treatment results improve with the development of endovascular methods. The aim of this study was to present the outcomes of the treatment of unruptured ophthalmic aneurysms using flow diverting devices (FDD) with or without coiling. This retrospective study included 52 patients with 65 UIAs treated in 2009–2016. The mean aneurysm size was 8.8 mm. Eight aneurysms were symptomatic. Therapeutic procedures included: 5 failed attempts, 55 first sessions with FDD deployment (bilateral procedures in 3) and 3 retreatment procedures. To cover 55 ICAs, 25 Silk, 26 Pipeline, 9 Fred and 1 Surpass FDD were used. FDD with coiling was applied in 19(29.2%), mainly for symptomatic and larger aneurysms. Mean radiological and clinical follow-up was 12 and 61 months, respectively. Postprocedural deterioration was noted in 3(5.8%) patients, but in long-term the modified Rankin Scale grades 0–2 were achieved in 98.1% of patients. One patient died from the treated aneurysm rupture (annual risk—0.07%). Raymond–Roy occlusion classification class I or II was achieved in 98.5% in the long term, with similar results in both groups. Complications occurred in 40.4% of patients and the most frequent were: imperfect FDD deployment (15%), failed attempt of FDD deployment (9.6%) and late FDD stenosis (9.6%). Flow-diverting devices, with additional coiling in selected cases, may offer a very high proportion of satisfactory outcomes. However, in our experience the high risk of complications remains.