Outcomes in neurointerventional radiology indications and complications (ONIRIC): Anxiety and depressive symptoms, coping strategies, and quality of life before and after elective neuroendovascular treatment

BackgroundPatients undergoing elective endovascular treatment for cerebrovascular diseases (CBVD) may face mental health challenges that impact their quality of life (QoL). However, this issue is still rarely addressed in neuro-endovascular research literature and clinical practice. Our single center ongoing project ONIRIC aims to assess anxiety and depressive symptoms, coping, and QoL in CBVD patients treated via endovascular approaches.MethodsWe prospectively enrolled a cohort of patients undergoing elective endovascular procedures over a 6-month period. Patients completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S and STAI-T), the Beck Depression Inventory-version II (BDI-II), the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief-Cope), the Euro-QoL 5D-5L, and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) questionnaires at the baseline, and at discharge.ResultsWe included 25 patients (13 females): mean age 60 ± 12.5 years. There was a significant improvement in state anxiety and depressive symptom scores at discharge: the BDI-II scores significantly differed from the ones at baseline (<i>p</i> < .01), as well as the STAI-S scores (<i>p</i> < .01). The coping and QoL scores did not show any changes.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this research represents one of the few prospective studies examining the psychological and neuropsychological outcomes associated with elective neuro-endovascular treatment of CBDV. Despite the small sample size, our preliminary findings, are consistent with recent literature in related fields, contributing valuable insights to the broader understanding of how these factors influence clinical management. Future directions include the collection of follow-up data, essential for deepening our understanding of this complex and sensitive issue.