Clinical impact of Sim & Size® simulation software in the treatment of patients with cerebral aneurysms with flow-diverter Pipeline stents

Abstract

Objectives: This study evaluated the clinical impact of the Sim&Size® simulation software on the endovascular treatment with flow-diverter stents of patients with unruptured saccular intracranial aneurysms. Methods: This monocentric retrospective study evaluated a cohort of patients treated with flow-divert stents between June 1, 2014, and December 31, 2019, for cerebral aneurysms. Patients belonged to two groups, patients treated with and without the Sim&Size® simulation software. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the clinical impact of simulation software. Results: Out of the 73 interventions involving 68 patients analyzed by the study, 76.7% were simulated using the Sim&Size® simulation software, and 23.3% were not. Patients treated with the simulation software had shorter stent lengths (16.00 mm vs. 20.00 mm p-value = 0.001) and surgical time (100.00 min vs. 118.00 min p-value = 0.496). Also, fewer of them required more than one stent (3.6% vs. 17.6% p-value = 0.079). Three patients belonging to the non-stimulated group presented hemorrhagic complications. Conclusions: Using the Sim&Size® simulation software for the endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms with pipeline flow-diverter stents reduces the stent length.