Safety of Local Anesthesia in Coil Embolization of Aneurysms: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Savio Batista1, Jordana Borges2, Leonardo Oliveira3, Eric Slawka1, Stefan Koester4, Raphael Bertani5, Jhon Bocanegra-Becerra6, Marcio Ferreira2, Raphael Besborodco7, Jose Alberto Almeida8
1Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 2No Affiliation, 3State University of Ponta Grossa, 4Vanderbilt University, 5Department of Neurosurgery, University of São Paulo, 6Department of Medicine, Health Center of Totorabamba, Ministry of Health, 7Rusk Rehabilitation, New York University, 8Department of Neurosurgery, Municipal Hospital Miguel Couto
Objective:

Conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the safety of LA for the endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms.

Background:

Endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its minimally invasive nature and high success rate. Historically, general anesthesia (GA) has been the preferred method for endovascular procedures, but there has been growing interest in the use of local anesthesia (LA) as an alternative. However, concerns remain regarding the safety of LA for these complex procedures.

Design/Methods:

A systematic review of the literature of studies investigating the safety of LA for the endovascular treatment of aneurysms was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase were queried. 

Results:

 The analysis included 10 studies, with a total of 964 intracranial aneurysms treated with coil embolization under LA. All cases involved coil embolization via femoral artery puncture. The majority of aneurysms ( 85.3%) were unruptured. In the 9 studies reporting on conversion to GA, the pooled analysis showed a 1% rate (95% CI 0 to 2%; I² = 25%). Complications related to the procedure, not directly related to anesthesia, occurred in 10% of cases (95% CI 7 to 14%; I² = 78%), a rate similar to those reported in the literature for GA. Across all studies, the pooled mortality rate was 0% (95% CI 0% to 1%, CI 95%, I² = 0%), with only 5 reported cases. 



Conclusions:
These findings suggest that endovascular treatment of aneurysms under LA is a safe option, with a low rate of conversion to GA and a low mortality rate. Moreover, the rate of complications related to the procedure is similar to those reported in the literature for GA, highlighting the comparable safety profile of LA.
10.1212/WNL.0000000000206618