Risk Factors for Ischemic Complications following Pipeline Embolization Device Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms: Results from the IntrePED Study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Risk factors for acute ischemic stroke following flow-diverter treatment of intracranial aneurysms are poorly understood. Using the International Retrospective Study of Pipeline Embolization Device (IntrePED) registry, we studied demographic, aneurysm, and procedural characteristics associated with postoperative acute ischemic stroke following Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified patients in the IntrePED registry with post-PED-treatment acute ischemic stroke. The rate of postoperative acute ischemic stroke was determined by demographics, comorbidities, aneurysm characteristics, and procedure characteristics (including anticoagulation use, platelet testing, number of devices used, sheaths, and so forth). Categoric variables were compared with χ² testing, and continuous variables were compared with the Student t test. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were obtained by using univariate logistic regression. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine which factors were independently associated with postoperative stroke.

RESULTS: Of 793 patients with 906 aneurysms, 36 (4.5%) patients had acute ischemic stroke. Twenty-six (72.2%) strokes occurred within 30 days of treatment (median, 3.5 days; range, 0–397 days). Ten patients died, and the remaining 26 had major neurologic morbidity. Variables associated with higher odds of acute ischemic stroke on univariate analysis included male sex, hypertension, treatment of MCA aneurysms, treatment of fusiform aneurysms, treatment of giant aneurysms, and use of multiple PEDs. However, on multivariate analysis, the only one of these variables independently associated with stroke was treatment of fusiform aneurysms (OR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.11–6.75; P = .03). Fusiform aneurysms that were associated with stroke were significantly larger than those not associated with stroke (mean, 24.5 ± 12.5 mm versus 13.6 ± 6.8 mm; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS: Ischemic stroke following PED treatment is an uncommon-but-devastating complication. Fusiform aneurysms were the only variable independently associated with postoperative stroke.