Stent-assisted coiling of cerebral aneurysms: Head to head comparison between the Neuroform Atlas and EZ stents.

BACKGROUND The Neuroform Atlas stent is thought to have features allowing for an improved stent delivery system. We aimed to provide a comparison of the Atlas and Neuroform EZ stents in patients treated with stent-assisted coiling. METHODS Seventy-seven aneurysms treated with the Atlas stent and 77 aneurysms with similar characteristics treated with the EZ stent were retrospectively compared. Outcomes included angiographic occlusion per the Raymond-Roy (RR) scale, recanalization, retreatment and procedural complications. RESULTS With the Atlas stent, technical success was 100% and immediate RR1 occlusion was 81.8%. Follow-up RR1 was achieved in 83.7%. The recanalization rate was 7% and the retreatment rate was 4.6%. The complication rate was 6.5% (new neurological deficit in 1.3%). With the EZ stent, technical success was 96%, immediate RR1 occlusion was 67.6% and follow-up RR1 was 67.6%. The recanalization rate was 12.7% and the retreatment rate was 14.1%. The complication rate was 10.4% (new neurological deficit in 2.6%). The rate of immediate RR1 occlusion was significantly higher with the Atlas stent (p = 0.03), and the rate of follow-up RR1 was nonsignificantly higher with the Atlas stent (p = 0.08). The retreatment rate was significantly lower with the Atlas stent (p = 0.009). There were no significant differences in the rates of recanalization (p = 0.5) and complications (p = 0.6). CONCLUSIONS Stent-assisted coiling with the Atlas stent is safe and effective and shows better immediate results as compared to the EZ stent, with improved overall follow-up outcomes.