Modified balloon-assisted coiling instead of acute stenting in the treatment of ruptured wide necked intracranial aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and efficiency of the modified balloon assisted coiling (mBAC) technique in endovascular treatment (EVT) of ruptured wide-necked aneurysms (WNAs) to avoid stent placement in the acute phase of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS: The local neurointerventional radiology database was retrospectively reviewed to identify patients who underwent EVT due to ruptured WNAs by the authors. According to the EVT technique performed, the study sample was divided into 3 groups: conventional BAC, stent assisted coiling (SAC), and mBAC. The patient demographics, aneurysm features, technical and clinical complications, aneurysm occlusion grades, morbidity, and mortality rates were comparatively analyzed. RESULTS: This study involved a total of 113 patients who had ruptured WNAs. The mBAC technique was performed on 26 aneurysms (23 saccular and 3 fusiform) in 26 patients to avoid acute phase stenting. The mean continuous balloon inflation time was 7.1 ± 2.12 min. The initial and follow-up angiographic and clinical outcomes were better in the mBAC group than in the SAC group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The mBAC technique offers a prolonged, continuous balloon inflation time during the whole coiling process in the treatment of ruptured WNAs. The mBAC technique has the potential to obviate the need for SAC in patients who are candidates for stenting during the acute phase of SAH, and it might be considered a safe and effective endovascular approach with low complication rates and good angiographic and clinical outcomes.