Endovascular treatment of remnants of intracranial aneurysms following incomplete clipping.

We report clinical and angiographic findings in eight patients treated by the endovascular approach for an intracranial aneurysm remnant after incomplete surgical clipping. They were seven women and one man, mean age 38 years (range 14-50 years). In three, the remnant was responsible for a recurrent subarachnoid haemorrhage. All were treated by embolisation of the remnant using Guglielmi detachable coils. In two, a nondetachable balloon was inflated in front of the remnant during coil detachment because of a wide neck. Mean clinical and imaging follow-up was 19 months (range 12-24 months). Immediate angiography showed complete occlusion of the remnant and follow-up clinical examination showed good or excellent recovery in all patients. Imaging follow-up confirmed persistent occlusion of the remnant in all cases.