Angiographic Follow-Up for Small Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysm Treated by Endovascular Treatment : Follow-Up Plan and Long-Term Follow-Up Results

OBJECTIVE: Although endovascular treatment for intracranial aneurysms is considered effective and safe, its durability is still debated. Also, few studies have described angiographic follow-up plan after endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysm, especially in ruptured cases. Hence, we report the long-term results of follow-up angiography protocol. METHODS: Radiological records of 639 cases of coil embolization with ruptured aneurysms from March 2003 to December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who received treatment of a saccular aneurysm less than 7 mm resulted with near complete occlusion were included. Two hundred thirty-eight aneuryms which received the follow-up angiography at least once were enrolled. We classified four periods of follow-up as follows : post-treatment 1 year (defined as the first period), from 1 to 2 years (the second period), 2 to 5 years (the third period), and over 5 years (long-term). RESULTS: We identified 14 cases (6.4%) of recurrence from 218 aneurysms in follow-up angiography in the first period. Among 143 aneurysms in the second period, five cases (3.5%) of recurrence were identified. There were no findings suspicious of recanalization in 97 patients in the third period. Of the total 238 cases, there were 19 recurrences, for a recurrence rate of 8.0%. Six (31.6%) out of 19 recurrences showed a tendency toward repeat recurrences even after additional treatment. Twenty-eight received long-term follow-up over 5 years and there was no recurrence. CONCLUSION: Most of the recurrence were found during the first and the second year. We suggest that at least one digital subtraction angiography examination may be necessary around post-treatment 2 years, especially in ruptured cases. If the angiographic results are favorable at 2 years post-treatment, long-term result should be favorable.