Introduction of GDC embolization in the clinical practice as treatment synergical to surgery: impact on overall outcome of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage

The GDC endovascular approach represent an effective alternative to surgery for treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Anyway no data are available about the impact of endovascular embolization with GDC on overall outcome of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. We analyse retrospectively a series of 234 patients admitted for ruptured intracranial aneurysm. Results were then compared with results of three surgical series from the literature. The 95.7% of patients underwent aneurysm treatment; 56.4% of patients were classified as good recovery, 12.8% presented moderate disability, 10.3% were severely disabled, 3% were in persistent vegetative state and 17.5% were dead. Patients older than 60 years accounted for 37% of all cases and good outcome in this group accounted for 54.7%. Good results were obtained in 90.1%, 61.7% and 22.8% of patients with Hunt-Hess grade I-II, III and IV-V respectively. Finally good outcome was observed in 82.8% of patients with aneurysms of the posterior circulation. Introduction of GDC embolization in clinical practice contributed to the extension of indication for aneurysm treatment leading to a reduction of overall mortality. GDC utilisation does not affect the overall percentage of patients with good outcome reflecting an increase of severely disabled patients. Endovascular treatment seems an effective theraputic choice in selected grade I-II patients. Results in grade III patients suggest that surgery may be advantageous because of washing and decompression of the basal cisterns while results in grade IV and V patients are unsatisfactory. GDC embolization clearly improves the prognosis of patients with posterior circulation aneurysms and probably is an advantageous theraputic choice in elderly patients.