Is surgical clipping becoming underused?

Summary

Coil embolization is a treatment for intracranial aneurysms with a particular appeal for posterior circulation aneurysms. However, although this procedure is effective in well-selected intracranial aneurysms, it has a series of limitations that may be overlooked as a result of its rapid technological evolution and its minimally invasive appearance. The author analyses the data that lead him to consider that since the introduction of coil embolisation in 1991 and its progressive diffusion, the technique of surgical clipping risks being underused as a therapeutic procedure for intracranial aneurysms because of the shortage of vascular neurosurgeons trained and experienced in its use.