Endovascular coiling versus neurosurgical clipping for treatment of ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms during pregnancy and postpartum period

Background Selection of appropriate surgical strategy for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms (IA) during pregnancy requires careful consideration of the potential risks to the mother and fetus. However, limited data guide treatment decisions in these patients. We compared the safety profiles of endovascular coiling (EC) and neurosurgical clipping (NC) performed for the treatment of ruptured and unruptured IA during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Methods Pregnancy-related or postpartum hospitalizations undergoing surgical intervention for IA were identified from the Nationwide Readmissions Database 2016-2018. Safety outcomes included periprocedural complications, in-hospital mortality, discharge disposition, and 30-day non-elective readmissions. Results There were 348 pregnancy-related or postpartum hospitalizations that met the study inclusion criteria (mean +/- SD age 31.8 +/- 5.9 years). Among 168 patients treated for ruptured aneurysms, 115 (68.5%) underwent EC and 53 (31.5%) underwent NC; whereas among 180 patients treated for unruptured aneurysms, 140 (77.8%) underwent EC and 40 (22.2%) underwent NC. There were no statistically significant differences in the baseline characteristics between patients undergoing EC versus NC for either ruptured or unruptured aneurysm groups. The outcomes were statistically comparable between EC and NC for both ruptured and unruptured IA, except for a lower incidence of ischemic stroke in patients undergoing EC for ruptured aneurysms (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.84). Conclusions Most pregnant and postpartum patients are treated with EC for both ruptured and unruptured IA. For treatment of ruptured IA, EC is independently associated with a lower risk of perioperative ischemic stroke, but other in-hospital complications and mortality are comparable between EC and NC.

Automated summary

This study compared the safety of endovascular coiling (EC) and neurosurgical clipping (NC) for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms (IA) during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The results showed that most pregnant and postpartum patients were treated with EC for both ruptured and unruptured IA. EC was found to be associated with a lower risk of perioperative ischemic stroke in patients with ruptured IA, but other complications and mortality rates were comparable between EC and NC.