Endovascular coiling versus surgical clipping for the treatment of unruptured cerebral aneurysms: Direct comparison of procedure-related complications.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular coiling and surgical clipping are routinely used to treat unruptured cerebral aneurysms (UCAs). However, the evidence to support the efficacy of these approaches is limited. We aimed to analyze the efficacy of endovascular coiling compared with surgical clipping in patients with UCAs. METHOD: A systematic search of 4 databases was conducted to identify comparative articles involving endovascular coiling and surgical clipping in patients with UCAs. We conducted a meta-analysis using the random-effects model when I> 50%. Otherwise, a meta-analysis using the fixed-effects model was performed. RESULTS: Our results showed that endovascular coiling was associated with a shorter length of stay (WMD: -4.14, 95% CI: (-5.75, -2.531), P < .001) and a lower incidence of short-term complications compared with surgical clipping (OR: 0.518; 95% CI (0.433, 0.621); P < .001), which seems to be a result of ischemia complications (OR: 0.423; 95% CI (0.317, 0.564); P < .001). However, surgical clipping showed a higher rate of complete occlusion after surgery, in both short-term (OR: 0.179, 95% CI (0.064, 0.499), P = .001) and 1-year follow-ups (OR: 0.307, 95% CI (0.146, 0.646), P = .002), and a lower rate of short-term retreatment (OR: 0.307, 95% CI (0.146, 0.646), P = .002). Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in postoperative death, bleeding, and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) > 2 between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: The latest evidence illustrates that surgical clipping resulted in lower retreatment rates and was associated with a higher incidence of complete occlusion, while endovascular coiling was associated with shorter LOS and a lower rate of complications, especially ischemia.

Dual versus Single Antiplatelet Therapy in Carotid Artery Endarterectomy: Direct Comparison of Complications Related to Antiplatelet Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Dual and single antiplatelet therapies are routinely used in carotid artery endarterectomy (CEA). However, the efficacy and safety of these therapies are controversial. The present study aimed to comprehensively compare the clinical outcomes between dual and single antiplatelet therapies in CEA. METHODS: This study retrieved available academic studies evaluating the complications related to antiplatelet therapy between dual and single antiplatelet therapies in CEA from the databases of ScienceDirect, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and PubMed. References to previous reviews and related clinical trials were manually checked to retrieve potential literature that was not included in our electronic search results. RESULTS: A total of 10 articles (1 randomized controlled trial, 9 non-randomized controlled trials) were included in the study. The overall number of patients in the dual antiplatelet group was 14,280, and the number of patients in the single antiplatelet group was 125,850. The results revealed that the single antiplatelet group had a lower incidence of 30-day death (rate difference [RD] 0.002; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.000-0.003; P = 0.014), neck hematoma (odds ratio [OR] 2.120; 95% CI 1.431-3.142; P < 0.001), myocardial infarction (RD 0.004; 95% CI 0.001-0.007; P = 0.003), and major bleeding (RD 0.005; 95% CI 0.002-0.008; P < 0.001). Meanwhile, the single antiplatelet group was associated with a shorter operation time (weighted mean difference 4.000; 95% CI= 2.564-5.436; P < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the rate of postoperative transient ischemic attack (P = 0.215), stroke (P = 0.130), or length of stay (P = 0.563). CONCLUSIONS: Based on current evidence, using single antiplatelet therapy in CEA may reduce operation time and the incidences of 30-day death, neck hematoma, major bleeding, and myocardial infarction without increasing the risks of transient ischemic attack, stroke, or a longer operation time.