RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Periprocedural outcomes and early safety with the use of the Pipeline Flex Embolization Device with Shield Technology for unruptured intracranial aneurysms: preliminary results from a prospective clinical study JF Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery JO J NeuroIntervent Surg FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. SP 772 OP 776 DO 10.1136/neurintsurg-2016-012896 VO 9 IS 8 A1 Mario Martínez-Galdámez A1 Saleh M Lamin A1 Konstantinos G Lagios A1 Thomas Liebig A1 Elisa F Ciceri A1 Rene Chapot A1 Luc Stockx A1 Swarupsinh Chavda A1 Christoph Kabbasch A1 Giuseppe Farago A1 Hannes Nordmeyer A1 Thierry Boulanger A1 Mariangela Piano A1 Edoardo P Boccardi YR 2017 UL http://jnis.bmj.com/content/9/8/772.abstract AB Background and purpose The Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) has become a routine first-line option for treatment of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). We assessed the early safety and technical success of a new version of PED, Pipeline Flex Embolization Device with Shield Technology (Pipeline Shield), which has the same design and configuration but has been modified to include a surface synthetic biocompatible polymer.Materials and methods The Pipeline Flex Embolization Device with Shield Technology (PFLEX) study is a prospective, single-arm, multicenter study for the treatment of unruptured IAs using Pipeline Shield. The primary study endpoints included the occurrence of major stroke in the territory supplied by the treated artery or neurologic death at 1 year post-procedure. Secondary endpoints included the rate of Pipeline Shield-related or procedure-related serious or non-serious adverse events. Analyses were conducted to evaluate early safety findings in the 30-day post-procedure period as well as technical procedural success outcomes.Results Fifty patients with 50 unruptured target IAs were enrolled. Mean aneurysm diameter was 8.82±6.15 mm. Thirty-eight aneurysms (76%) were small (<10 mm). Device deployment was technically successful with 98% of devices. Complete wall apposition was achieved immediately post-procedure in 48 cases (96%). No major strokes or neurologic deaths were reported in the 30-day post-procedure period.Conclusions The results of this first experience with the new Pipeline Flex corroborate the early safety of the device. Mid-term and long-term follow-up examinations will provide data on safety outcomes at the 6-month and 1-year follow-up periods.Clinical trial registration NCT02390037.