Surgical and Endovascular Treatment of Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysms at University Hospitals.

Johnston SC, et. al.
Neurology 1999; 52:1799-1805

OBJECTIVE:
To compare complications of neurosurgical clipping with complications of endovascular coil therapy in the treatment of ruptured aneurysms.

METHODS:
Study compared complications, hospital stay durations, and costs of neurosurgical clipping with those of endovascular coil therapy in treatment of unruptured aneurysms at 60 university hospitals from June 1994 through June 1997. The primary treatment was surgery in 2,357 cases and endovascular in 255 cases.

RESULTS:
Adverse Outcomes %
In-Hospital Deaths %
Mean Length of Stay
Mean Charges
Surgical
18.5%
2.3%
9.6 days
$43,000
Endovascular
10.6%
0.4%
4.6 days
$30,000

CONCLUSION:
Endovascular coil treatment resulted in fewer adverse outcomes than surgery for unruptured cerebral aneurysms.