Most basilar trunk aneurysms respond to minimally invasive treatment, study finds

By AI, Created 4:53 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – A Chinese Neurosurgical Journal study of 37 basilar trunk artery aneurysms treated at Beijing Tiantan Hospital and Songyuan Jilin Oilfield Hospital found that nearly 9 in 10 patients had favorable recovery after endovascular procedures. The findings suggest modern minimally invasive techniques can work well for this rare brain aneurysm, but larger aneurysms carried higher complication risk and need closer monitoring.

Why it matters: - Basilar trunk artery aneurysms are rare, hard to treat and located in a vessel that supplies the brainstem. - The study adds one of the largest single-center datasets on outcomes for this condition in the modern flow-diverter era. - Nearly 9 in 10 patients in the series had favorable clinical recovery, showing minimally invasive treatment can often work even in complex cases. - Larger aneurysms carried higher treatment risk, which matters for patient selection and follow-up planning.

What happened: - Researchers led by Dr. Youxiang Li of Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, and Dr. Wei Feng of Songyuan Jilin Oilfield Hospital reported outcomes for basilar trunk artery aneurysm treatment. - The study was published March 5, 2026, in the Chinese Neurosurgical Journal. - The team reviewed 2,759 aneurysm cases treated from 2018 to 2022 and identified 37 basilar trunk artery aneurysms. - The researchers also reviewed published studies from 2013 to 2024.

The details: - Patients received minimally invasive endovascular treatment, including simple coiling, stent-assisted coiling and flow diverters. - Stent-assisted coiling was the most common treatment and was used in just over half of cases. - Flow diverters were used in nearly 30% of cases, mainly for more complex or larger aneurysms. - Follow-up imaging showed about 72% of patients achieved complete aneurysm occlusion. - Nearly 19% reached near-complete occlusion. - About 89% of patients had favorable functional outcomes, defined as minimal or no disability. - Procedure-related complications occurred in about 11% of patients. - The complications included hemorrhagic and ischemic events. - Two patients died during follow-up. - Larger aneurysms were associated with more complications and poorer outcomes, although those links did not reach statistical significance. - The original paper was titled “Endovascular treatment for basilar trunk artery aneurysm in the flow diverter era: A consecutive series and review of literature.” - The paper’s DOI is 10.1186/s41016-025-00422-6. - The work was supported by the Beiling Gold-Bridge Project, grant ZZ21060.

Between the lines: - The study reinforces a broader shift toward endovascular treatment for difficult brain aneurysms. - Traditional coiling still plays a major role, but newer devices such as flow diverters are increasingly used when aneurysms are more complex. - The small sample size reflects how rare basilar trunk aneurysms are, but it also limits how far the findings can be generalized. - The retrospective design adds more real-world value, but it can also introduce bias.

What’s next: - The authors say longer follow-up and larger multicenter studies are needed to confirm the results. - Future research will likely focus on better strategies for higher-risk patients, especially those with larger aneurysms. - The study suggests individualized treatment planning and close monitoring remain important even when minimally invasive treatment is successful.

The bottom line: - Most basilar trunk artery aneurysms in this series were treatable with minimally invasive procedures, but aneurysm size remained a key warning sign for risk.