Initial Experience with the New Double-lumen Scepter Balloon Catheter for Treatment of Wide-necked Aneurysms
A 66-year-old woman was being admitted with a Hunt & Hess grade 3 SAH. An angiography showed a large aneurysm at the left MCA bifurcation. A three-dimensional reconstruction of the angiogram revealed that a superior branch was incorporated into the sac (). After placement of the Scepter-C balloon catheter from the M1 to MCA inferior division, a gradual over-inflation of the balloon indicated that a substantial portion of the balloon was herniated into the sac (), which made it possible to save the incorporated superior branch and, in turn, to perform the coil embolization of the aneurysm. At the end of the procedure, an angiography revealed a thrombus formation at the aneurysm neck close to the origin of the superior branch (). After administering an intra-arterial Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor (Tirofiban, 1 mg) infusion, a follow-up angiography 30 minutes later showed a resolution of the thrombus and a complete occlusion of the aneurysm sac (). The patient showed no neurological deficit post-treatment.