Endovascular Aneurysm Treatment Rises; Mortality Falls

MONDAY, June 9 (HealthDay News) -- During a recent 10-year period, endovascular treatment for cerebral aneurysms became more common, and mortality fell significantly for endovascular therapy and surgical clipping to treat aneurysms, according to research published in the June issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery.

Norberto Andaluz, M.D., of the University of South Florida in Tampa, and Mario Zuccarello, M.D., of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio, assessed trends regarding treatments for cerebral aneurysms by analyzing hospital discharge data from 1993 to 2003 compiled by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Over this period, discharges for unruptured aneurysms doubled, but numbers of discharges for subarachnoid hemorrhage stayed steady, the researchers report. In terms of treatment during this period, the number of endovascular procedures to treat aneurysms doubled, while the number of aneurysms treated with clips stayed steady. By the end of the study, mortality rates had fallen 20 percent for subarachnoid hemorrhages and 50 percent for unruptured aneurysms, the report indicates.

"Data trend analysis from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample revealed an increased selection of endovascular therapy for treatment of cerebral aneurysms. A significant decrease in mortality was encountered for both endovascular therapy and surgical clipping for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms. There was a modest increase in good outcomes for unruptured aneurysms treated with either modality. Large, academic centers were associated with better outcomes and lower mortality rates," the authors conclude.

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