Stent-assisted coiling

In stent-assisted coiling, a self-expanding stent is deployed in the parent artery across the neck of the aneurysm, and coils are placed through or alongside it. The stent acts as a scaffold that keeps coils from protruding into the parent vessel, which makes coiling feasible for wide-neck aneurysms that would otherwise be hard to treat.

Because a stent is a permanent implant in the bloodstream, patients need dual antiplatelet therapy around and after the procedure, which complicates its use in ruptured aneurysms.

Observational data often show lower recurrence with stent assistance, but stents are chosen for particular aneurysms, so comparisons are confounded by indication. A prognostic model can report how stent use relates to risk without implying that adding a stent would cause that difference.