Intra-Arterial Eptifibatide in the Management of Thromboembolism during Endovascular Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms: Case Series and a Review of the Literature.
[heparin-induced thrombocytopenia]
Thromboembolic complications are well recognized during the endovascular management of intracranial aneurysms. In this study, we present a case series of 40 patients with intraprocedural thrombotic complications who were treated with intra-arterial eptifibatide (IAE), and a review of the literature.Twenty-five patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms (RIA), 10 with unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA) and 5 with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage-induced vasospasm (VSP) received IAE for intraprocedural thrombi during endovascular treatment. Rates of recanalization, strokes, and hemorrhagic complications were assessed.Recanalization was achieved in 96% (24/25) of the RIA patients [72% (18/25) complete; 24% (6/25) partial], in 100% (10/10) of the UIA patients [90% (9/10) complete; 10% (1/10) partial], and in 100% (5/5) of the VSP patients [80% (4/5) complete; 20% (1/5) partial]. Strokes following intraprocedural thrombosis were coil-related (20%, 5/25) or stent-related (12%, 3/25) in RIA patients, stent-related (10%, 1/10) in UIA patients, and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia type II-related (60%, 3/5) or vasospasm-related (20%, 1/5) in VSP patients. There were no intracerebral hemorrhagic complications in UIA. Intracerebral hemorrhage was observed in 20% of the RIA patients (5/25), all of whom had received intra-arterial thrombolytics and/or high-dose heparin infusion in addition to IAE; in 12%, this was external ventricular drain-related (3/25), 4% had parenchymal hematoma type 1 (1/25), and 4% parenchymal hematoma type 2 (1/25). One of the 5 VSP patients, who had received argatroban in addition to IAE, had parenchymal hematoma type 1. No clinically significant systemic hemorrhage was observed in this study.Treatment of thromboembolic complications with IAE during endovascular management of aneurysms was effective in achieving recanalization and overall well tolerated in this series.
