Imaging versus Intervention in Managing Small Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-10-2021

Publication Title

Cerebrovascular diseases (Basel, Switzerland)

E-ISSN

1421-9786

Department(s)

Department of Medicine

Keywords

Cost-effectiveness analysis, Intracranial aneurysm, Subarachnoid hemorrhage, Surveillance

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Current guidelines recommend active surveillance with serial magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) for management of small, asymptomatic unruptured anterior circulation aneurysms (UIAs). We sought to determine the cost-effectiveness of active surveillance compared to immediate surgery. METHODS: We developed a Markov cost-effectiveness model simulating patients with small (mm) UIAs managed by active surveillance via MRA, immediate surgery, or watchful waiting. Inputs for the model were abstracted from the literature and used to construct a comprehensive model following persons from diagnosis to death. Outcomes were quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), lifetime medical costs (2015 USD), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Cost-effectiveness, deterministic, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: Immediate surgical treatment was the most cost-effective management strategy for small UIAs with ICER of USD 45,772 relative to active surveillance. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated immediate surgery was the preferred strategy, if rupture rate was >0.1%/year and if the diagnosis age wasyears, while active surveillance was preferred if surgical complication risk was >11%. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis demonstrated that at a willingness-to-pay of USD 100,000/QALY, immediate surgical treatment was the most cost-effective strategy in 64% of iterations. CONCLUSION: Immediate surgical treatment is a cost-effective strategy for initial management of small UIAs in patients MRA, surgical treatment increased QALY. The cost-effectiveness of immediate surgery is highly sensitive to diagnosis age, rupture rate, and surgical complication risk. Though there are a wide range of rupture rates and complications associated with treatment, this analysis supports the treatment of small, unruptured anterior circulation intracranial aneurysms in patients age.

First Page

1

Last Page

11

DOI

10.1159/000519538

PubMed ID

34758465

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS