"We were able to reduce the rate of thromboembolic events from 17.6% without using acetylsalicylic acid to 8.8% when we added the antiplatelet agent to treatment," said Thorsten Ries, MD, neuroradiologist, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany.

In his oral presentation on November 30^th, Dr. Ries reviewed outcomes from 2001 to 2004 in his hospital. Overall, doctors performed endovascular embolization of 261 aneurysms among 247 patients. ASA was not included in the treatment mix during the first period of treatment -- through January 2003. Between Jan 2003 and September 2004 - the cutoff date for the study -- all patients received ASA prior to the procedure.

His series included patients with 102 aneurysms treated between 2001 and 2003 and 159 aneurysms treated with 250 mg of intravenous acetylsalicylic acid included in the later half of the study period..

The researchers found that thromboembolic events during the procedure occurred in 17.6% of the 102 embolizations attempted without ASA. Among the patients treated with aspirin, 8.8% of the 159 embolization procedures resulted in thromboembolic events. The difference between the two groups reached statistical significance at the P = .028 level, Dr. Ries said in his oral presentation.

"Intravenous acetylsalicylic acid seems to be associated with a significant reduction in the rate of thromboembolic events without increase in the rate or severity of intraoperative bleedings," he said.

"Intravenous aspirin is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States," commented Christopher Dowd, MD, associate professor of radiology, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, California, a moderator of the session at which Dr. Ries made his presentation. "We wish we had it."

He said ASA administered orally or rectally provides similar antiplatelet protection as does the intravenous formulation.


[Presentation title: Intravenous Administration of Acetyl Salicylic Acid during Endovascular Treatment of Cerebral Aneurysms Reduces the Rate of Thromboembolic Events. Abstract SSQ12-04]

Copyright © 2009 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content.