PED+coils may be a safe and effective treatment for aneurysms with high risk of rupture (or rerupture) and complex anatomy. Coiling in conjunction with PED placement provided a higher aneurysm occlusion rate and reduced the need for retreatment.

The PED can be utilized for ruptured aneurysms and is a good option for blister-type aneurysms. However, due to periprocedural complications, it should be reserved for lesions that are difficult to treat by conventional clipping or coiling.

Flow diversion is a novel concept for treating anatomically challenging intracranial aneurysms and has gained increasing acceptance. Flow diverter stents, such as the Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) (ev3-Covidien, Irvine, CA, USA), are approved for treating unruptured large and giant aneurysms from the internal carotid artery between the superior hypophyseal and cavernous segments. However, technological advances and recent clinical results suggest that flow diversion can be safely and effectively used in treating ruptured aneurysms, posterior circulation aneurysms, and distal anterior circulation aneurysms. In this brief review, we aim to investigate the recent evidence on the utilization of PEDs in these controversial vascular territories and to discuss whether the indications for flow diversion can be expanded.

No abstract

Adjacent tandem intracranial aneurysms can be safely and effectively treated by either stent-assisted coiling or flow diversion. We prefer PED flow diversion due to better parent vessel reconstruction and lower recanalization risk.

No abstract

Endovascular embolization has become increasingly favored over microsurgical resection for treatment of complex dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs). However, endovascular treatment can be restricted by tortuous transarterial access and a transvenous approach is not always feasible. We present a Borden III DAVF treated by direct access to the middle meningeal artery (MMA) and Onyx embolization performed in a hybrid operating room-angiography suite. A middle-aged patient with pulsatile headaches was found to have left transverse sinus occlusion and DAVF with retrograde cortical venous drainage fed by multiple external carotid artery (ECA) feeders. Endovascular attempts via conventional transvenous and transarterial routes were unsuccessful, and the major MMA feeder was accessed directly after temporal craniotomy was performed under neuronavigation. Onyx embolization was performed; complete occlusion of the fistula was achieved. Three-month follow-up angiography showed no residual filling; the patient remains complication-free. A combined surgical-endovascular technique in a hybrid operating room-angiography suite can be an effective treatment for DAVFs complicated by inaccessible arterial and transvenous approaches.

NGAVFs are extremely rare in the adult population and present a similar clinical course as in older children. In our experience, transarterial embolization can be safely and effectively utilized for the treatment of these lesions in adults.