Effect of Surgical Clipping versus Endovascular Coiling on the Incidence of Delayed Cerebral Ischemia in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Multicenter Observational Cohort Study with Propensity Score Matching

The effect of surgical clipping (SC) and endovascular coiling (EC) on the incidence of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) has always been a controversial topic. Hence, it is necessary to reanalyze the effects of the 2 surgical methods on DCI, which determines the choice of the most favorable method for patients who are suitable for both surgical modalities.A multicenter retrospective observational cohort study was performed to evaluate all consecutive patients with aSAH admitted to 5 medical centers in China between April 2019 and June 2021. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to confirm risk factors of DCI after aSAH. A 1:1 propensity score matching model was generated in the EC and SC groups to reduce the influence of all confounding factors on DCI.A total of 412 patients were included, and 115 patients (27.9%) developed DCI. After propensity score matching for controlling demographic information, past medical history, admission clinical status, aneurysm characteristics, and inflammatory factors associated with DCI, 133 patients with SC and 133 patients with EC treatment were matched. The results of the matched cohorts indicate a significantly lower incidence of DCI when patients received EC than SC (31.9% vs. 20%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.87; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-3.29; P = 0.027).The study found that the patients who received SC treatment had a higher incidence of DCI than did those who received EC and suggested that ruptured intracerebral aneurysm is preferentially coiled rather than clipped if the aneurysm is suitable for both surgical modalities.