Prediction of aneurysm thrombosis after flow diverter stent treatment using four-dimensional flow MRI technique

Motivation: Flow-diverter stents (FDS) have treated wide-neck intracranial aneurysms. The pre-treatment situation of intra-aneurysmal flow is essential to predict the thrombosis progress after FDS. Goal(s): This study aimed to clarify this relationship by quantitatively measuring the intra-aneurysmal flow, especially the energy loss (EL), using 4D flow MRI. Approach: We evaluated 10 patients of internal carotid artery aneurysms with a 4D flow MRI, and measured these intra-aneurysmal maximum velocity and EL. Results: 6 of the 10 patients with higher EL observed complete occlusion within 15 months. Remaining 4 patients showed partial thrombosis within one year, and 3 of the 4 patients showed lower EL. Impact: 4D flow MRI predicts future aneurysm thrombosis after FDS implantation.