Long Term Angiographical Follow-up of Cerebral Aneurysms after Coil Embolization.

SUMMARY: We evaluated long-term angiographical follow- up of cerebral aneurysms treated with detachable platinum coils with special reference to the long-term morphological outcomes of incompletely obliterated aneurysms. Serial long-term follow-up cerebral angiograms (> 1 year) were obtained in 47 cases out of 134 cases treated with GDCs or IDCs from 1994 to 1999. In 47 patients, intial angiographical results demonstrated ten complete aneurysmal occlusion, seven aneurysms with a small neck remnant, twenty aneurysms with body filling and ten aneurysms with both of neck remnant and body filling. In the ten completely obliterated aneurysms, follow-up angiograms revealed no aneurysmal recanalization. In seven aneurysms with neck remnant, three remained unchanged, four showed enlargement of contrast filling in the part of the neck of the aneurysm. In twenty aneurysms with body filling, five had developed into complete obliteration, three remained unchanged, 11 had recanalization, and one aneurysm displayed regrowth. In ten aneurysms with both of neck remnant and body filling, two remained unchanged, five had recanalization, and three aneurysms displayed regrowth. Long-term angiographical follow-up results are less satisfactory in cases involving incompletely obliterated lesions. A higher incidence of recanalizations were promoted in cases with neck remnant and/or body filling. Strict followup angiography is mandatory when a complete obliteration is not achieved.