OBJECTIVE: Peripheral brain aneurysms arise from the distal segments of cerebral arteries. They can be treated by surgery or by an endovascular approach. We present our experience of endovascular treatment of peripheral brain aneurysms with a novel endovascular device, the Guglielmi detachable coil (GDC) crescent.
METHODS: The GDC crescent is a 5-mm long, curved coil steerable beyond the tip of a microcatheter and detachable at a distance. The GDC crescent was used in three cases of intracranial peripheral aneurysms to occlude their parent vessel.
RESULTS: Three peripheral brain aneurysms in three patients were successfully treated with parent vessel occlusion using the prototype GDC crescent coils, thereby excluding the aneurysms from the brain circulation. No complications were encountered.
CONCLUSION: From this limited experience, the GDC crescent seems particularly suitable for the controlled endovascular occlusion of the often-narrow parent artery of distal brain aneurysms.