Introduction Neuro-interventional models are often used to develop, test, and compare devices and techniques. Their implications depend greatly on accurate modeling of the vessel diameters, which may be impacted by ethnic variations.

Aim of Study To determine if vessel size differences exist between the European and Chinese populations.

Methods A systematic review of the literature in the PubMed database was performed to identify studies reporting vessel diameters obtained through validated imaging on healthy European and Chinese populations from Jan 2000 until Jul 2022. All Circle of Willis vessels were studied, at least 5 articles per vessel were needed to perform a meta-analysis using a random-effects model. Analyses were performed using RStudio (2022.07.2+576), and results reported as means (in mm) with 95% CI.

Results A total of 595 studies were screened, of which 28 could be analyzed quantitatively. The M1 diameter for the European population (2.37 mm [95% CI: 2.26–2.49]) was not different from the Chinese population (2.60 mm [95% CI: 2.32–2.93]) (p=0.149, I2=99.2%). The BA diameter for the European population (2.92 [2.49–3.43]) was smaller compared to the Chinese population (3.66 [3.27–3.99]) (p=0.014, I2=98.2%). Lastly, the VA diameter for the European population (2.87 mm [2.57–3.20]) was similar to the Chinese population (2.67 mm [2.32–3.07]) (p=0.427, I2=98.3%).

Conclusion In this meta-analysis, the MCA M1 and VA diameters were found to be similar for European and Chinese populations, while the BA was smaller in the European population. This suggests most models are already capturing ethnic variations in vessel size.

Disclosure of Interest MM, SL, JW, and PB are employees of Cerenovus. KK is an employee of Superior Medical Experts.