intracranial

This review summarises the reported clinical experience with flow diverters for the reconstruction of the parent artery of intracranial aneurysms, since their introduction 5 years ago. Over this period, the literature has documented treatment concepts and initial results. Safety concerns, some of which have proved unwarranted, have limited the use of these devices to the treatment of aneurysms which were likely to fail or had failed to be effectively treated by endosaccular coil embolisation. The emerging data now allows the risks of complications specific to this technology to be quantified and the emerging consensus on its efficacy has extended its use to include aneurysms suitable for conventional coil embolisation, in some centres. The need for antiplatelet prophylaxis will probably limit its use to anatomically complex and dissecting aneurysms in patients after spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage. This extending role highlights the need for systematic retrospective analysis of existing large case series and randomised comparative studies.