• Information
• Publications
  • Brain and Spine Booklets
  • Forthcoming titles
  • Get involved publications
  • Case studies
• Glossary
• Neurological centres
• Headstrong
• Information Access toolkit
• Communication skills project

|

As with any invasive clinical procedure there are certain risks associated with coiling.

Possible complications include stroke-like symptoms such as weakness in an arm or leg, numbness, speech disturbances or visual problems.Vasospasm may also occur; this is when the blood vessels within the brain constrict (close up) erratically resulting in restricted blood flow and headaches. If you have had a sub-arachnoid haemorrhage you will automatically be given medication to help prevent vasospasm. Bleeding, infection or arterial damage of the entry site in the groin can also occur. It is likely that the benefits of coiling will strongly outweigh any possible risks, however, your doctor will discuss this fully with you before you give consent for the procedure to be carried out.This can be a frightening time and it is natural to feel apprehensive and anxious, if you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to ask your medical or nursing team.

How successful is coiling?
Research is still being conducted to explore the risks and benefits of coiling.Various studies have been published; however, we have only reported the largest. The International Sub-arachnoid haemorrhage Trial (ISAT) was established to explore the effectiveness of coiling compared to clipping of ruptured aneurysms.The trial involved a number of different neurosurgical centres and a total of 2,143 patients were involved. Patients were randomly assigned to either coiling or clipping and they were monitored one month and one year later.The ISAT trial showed the long term risks of further bleeding are low for both clipping and coiling with the results positively supporting coiling as a treatment for ruptured aneurysms, both in terms of survival and in reduction of long-term disability.