Biomaterial Database

A survey of the radiological follow-up of unruptured intracranial aneurysms in the United Kingdom. 2023

Samuel Hall, and Ashraf Abouharb, and Ian Anderson, and Andrew Bacon, and Anuj Bahl, and Howard Brydon, and Graham Dow, and Ioannis Fouyas, and James Galea, and Anthony Ghosh, and Nihal Gurusinghe, and Mahmoud Kamel, and Pawan Minhas, and Patrick Mitchell, and David Mowle, and Nitin Mukerji, and Ramesh Nair, and John Norris, and Hiren Patel, and Jash Patel, and Krunal Patel, and Jerome St George, and Mario Teo, and Ahmed Toma, and Rikin Trivedi, and Chris Uff, and Anna Visca, and Daniel C Walsh, and Edward White, and Peter Whitfield, and Diederik Bulters

Wessex Neurological Centre, University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK.

Unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA) are common. For many the treatment risks outweigh their risk of subarachnoid haemorrhage and patients undergo surveillance imaging. There is little data to inform if and how to monitor UIAs resulting in widely varying practices. This study aimed to determine the current practice of unruptured UIA surveillance in the United Kingdom. A questionnaire was designed to address the themes of surveillance protocols for UIA including when surveillance is initiated, how frequently it is performed, and when it is terminated. Additionally, how aneurysm growth is managed and how clinically meaningful growth is defined were explored. The questionnaire was distributed to members of the British Neurovascular Group using probability-based cluster and non-probability purposive sampling methods. Responses were received from 30 of the 30 (100.0%) adult neurosurgical units in the United Kingdom of which 27 (90.0%) routinely perform surveillance for aneurysm growth. Only four units had a unit policy. The mean patient age up to which a unit would initiate follow-up of a low-risk UIA was 65.4 ± 9.0 years. The time points at which imaging is performed varied widely. There was an even split between whether units use a fixed duration of follow-up or an age threshold for terminating surveillance. Forty percent of units will follow-up patients more than 5 years from diagnosis. The magnitude in the change in size that was felt to constitute growth ranged from 1 to 3mm. No units routinely used vessel wall imaging although 27 had access to 3T MRI capable of performing it. There is marked heterogeneity in surveillance practices between units in the United Kingdom. This study will help units better understand their practice relative to their peers and provide a framework forplanning further research on aneurysm growth.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D011795	Surveys and Questionnaires	Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions.	Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D002532	Intracranial Aneurysm	Abnormal outpouching in the wall of intracranial blood vessels. Most common are the saccular (berry) aneurysms located at branch points in CIRCLE OF WILLIS at the base of the brain. Vessel rupture results in SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE or INTRACRANIAL HEMORRHAGES. Giant aneurysms (>2.5 cm in diameter) may compress adjacent structures, including the OCULOMOTOR NERVE. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p841)	Aneurysm, Cerebral,Aneurysm, Intracranial,Basilar Artery Aneurysm,Berry Aneurysm,Brain Aneurysm,Cerebral Aneurysm,Giant Intracranial Aneurysm,Mycotic Aneurysm, Intracranial,Aneurysm, Anterior Cerebral Artery,Aneurysm, Anterior Communicating Artery,Aneurysm, Basilar Artery,Aneurysm, Middle Cerebral Artery,Aneurysm, Posterior Cerebral Artery,Aneurysm, Posterior Communicating Artery,Anterior Cerebral Artery Aneurysm,Anterior Communicating Artery Aneurysm,Middle Cerebral Artery Aneurysm,Posterior Cerebral Artery Aneurysm,Posterior Communicating Artery Aneurysm,Aneurysm, Berry,Aneurysm, Brain,Aneurysm, Giant Intracranial,Aneurysm, Intracranial Mycotic,Aneurysms, Basilar Artery,Aneurysms, Berry,Aneurysms, Brain,Aneurysms, Cerebral,Aneurysms, Giant Intracranial,Aneurysms, Intracranial,Aneurysms, Intracranial Mycotic,Artery Aneurysm, Basilar,Artery Aneurysms, Basilar,Basilar Artery Aneurysms,Berry Aneurysms,Brain Aneurysms,Cerebral Aneurysms,Giant Intracranial Aneurysms,Intracranial Aneurysm, Giant,Intracranial Aneurysms,Intracranial Aneurysms, Giant,Intracranial Mycotic Aneurysm,Intracranial Mycotic Aneurysms,Mycotic Aneurysms, Intracranial
D005500	Follow-Up Studies	Studies in which individuals or populations are followed to assess the outcome of exposures, procedures, or effects of a characteristic, e.g., occurrence of disease.	Followup Studies,Follow Up Studies,Follow-Up Study,Followup Study,Studies, Follow-Up,Studies, Followup,Study, Follow-Up,Study, Followup
D006113	United Kingdom	Country in northwestern Europe including Great Britain and the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland, located between the North Sea and north Atlantic Ocean. The capital is London.	Great Britain,Isle of Man
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D000368	Aged	A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available.	Elderly
D013345	Subarachnoid Hemorrhage	Bleeding into the intracranial or spinal SUBARACHNOID SPACE, most resulting from INTRACRANIAL ANEURYSM rupture. It can occur after traumatic injuries (SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE, TRAUMATIC). Clinical features include HEADACHE; NAUSEA; VOMITING, nuchal rigidity, variable neurological deficits and reduced mental status.	Hemorrhage, Subarachnoid,Perinatal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage,Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Aneurysmal,Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Spontaneous,SAH (Subarachnoid Hemorrhage),Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Intracranial,Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage,Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhages,Hemorrhage, Aneurysmal Subarachnoid,Hemorrhage, Intracranial Subarachnoid,Hemorrhage, Perinatal Subarachnoid,Hemorrhage, Spontaneous Subarachnoid,Hemorrhages, Aneurysmal Subarachnoid,Hemorrhages, Intracranial Subarachnoid,Hemorrhages, Perinatal Subarachnoid,Hemorrhages, Spontaneous Subarachnoid,Hemorrhages, Subarachnoid,Intracranial Subarachnoid Hemorrhage,Intracranial Subarachnoid Hemorrhages,Perinatal Subarachnoid Hemorrhages,SAHs (Subarachnoid Hemorrhage),Spontaneous Subarachnoid Hemorrhage,Spontaneous Subarachnoid Hemorrhages,Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Perinatal,Subarachnoid Hemorrhages,Subarachnoid Hemorrhages, Aneurysmal,Subarachnoid Hemorrhages, Intracranial,Subarachnoid Hemorrhages, Perinatal,Subarachnoid Hemorrhages, Spontaneous