Prevalence and Factors Associated With the Occurrence of Depression Six Months After an Endovascular Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysm

During the last decade, the embolization has become the treatment of choice for ruptured intracranial aneurysms, to improve the neurological outcome of patients. At the same time, for his safety, she also became the technique allowing prophylactic treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms discovered incidentally during imaging exams.

Regarding patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms, patients who survive often have a reduced quality of life while one in two has a good neurological outcome after embolization. Depression, anxiety and fatigue, whose the psycho-social impact is important, are often cited. This description has often been done without considering the realized type of treatment (surgery or embolization) and mostly of neurological and functional status of the patient remotely (disability or not in daily activities).

Regarding patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms, they are mostly asymptomatic and embolization is programmed. They would present an cognitive impairment in one case in five at 1 month of treatment.

If depression, fatigue and difficult return to working life are logically found in patients with severe sequelae (disability in daily activities) of their ruptured intracranial aneurysms, the question arises for patients with a ruptured intracranial aneurysms with a favorable evolution and for asymptomatic patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms.

A precise status of these populations is necessary, especially as the discovery and treatment of their intracranial aneurysms is often early (between 40 and 60 years) and that their good neurological status should allow "a priori" to return easily at the active life.