Robotically assisted deployment of flow diverter stents for the treatment of cerebral and cervical aneurysms

Background Despite the growing sophistication of robot-assisted surgery, it is necessary to demonstrate that robots can reliably perform complex procedures on site and then remotely. Although a flow diverter stent is one of the most effective and widely used devices, its placement is sometimes challenging. Objective To evaluate the feasibility and safety of the CorPath GRX robotic platform for the embolization of cerebral and cervical aneurysms using flow diverter stents. Methods We performed a single-center technical study of the first 10 flow diverter stent deployments with the CorPath GRX Robotic System (Corindus Inc, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA) for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms between April and October 2022. Results Ten patients underwent robot-assisted embolization with flow diverter stents: there were nine intracranial aneurysms (paraclinoid n=6; posterior communicating artery aneurysm n=1; anterior communicating artery n=2) and one cervical aneurysm. Four procedures were performed with coils plus a flow diverter stent, one was performed with woven endobridge plus a flow diverter stent and four were performed with flow diverter stents alone. Of these procedures, two were performed with telescoping flow diverters. All flow diverter stents were deployed with robotic assistance, with only one partial conversion to a manual technique (caused by guidewire torquability limitations). No perioperative complications were observed. Conclusion Robot-assisted flow diverter stent deployment using the CorPath GRX platform is feasible and appears to be safe. Larger, in-depth studies of the technique’s safety and benefits are now warranted.