Transradial Intracranial Aneurysm Coiling in a Seven-Year-Old Patient

Pediatric intracranial aneurysms (PIA) are very rare and can be fatal if left untreated. There are many treatment strategies including microsurgical and endovascular techniques. We feel that endovascular treatment using trans-radial access (TRA) is safe and convenient for PIA compared to the trans-femoral access (TFA), which is commonly employed in this population. We present the case of the youngest patient in the world whose ruptured aneurysm was treated with endovascular coiling via the TRA. The seven-year-old patient was brought to the ER with a severe headache. He had several episodes of vomiting and an episode of seizure as well. Computerized tomography (CT) of the brain showed subarachnoid hemorrhage. A magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) showed an aneurysm at the bifurcation of the right internal carotid artery (ICA). An intermediate catheter/microcatheter system was used to navigate up into the ICA and then into the aneurysm. Two coils were deployed with good packing. The patient had a good clinical recovery and is currently doing good without any neurological deficits. With the availability of newer devices, we believe the TRA will be widely used in the coming years. We need to have larger randomized controlled trials to really understand the advantages of TRA in this patient population.