New therapies for unruptured intracranial aneurysms.

The concept of flow diversion is based on placing a stent across the neck of an intracranial aneurysm, which then results in flow away from the aneurysm, inducing thrombosis and occlusion of the aneurysm over time. Modern flow diverters, such as the Pipeline embolization device, are currently used for unruptured anterior circulation aneurysm. As the use and application of flow diverters becomes more widespread, some important questions remain relating to the effective treatment of dual antiplatelet therapy, the occurrence of delayed aneurysm ruptures and intraparenchymal hemorrhages, and long-term patency rates.