Grant: Project Grant

Brain aneurysms are balloon-like weak spots on the surface of brain arteries. About 900,000 Canadian have brain aneurysms. Aneurysms can burst to cause potentially-fatal bleeding, but the majority cause no symptoms. Thanks to advances in medical imaging, aneurysms can now be identified and treated before they burst. Most brain aneurysms are treated by packing them with special wires (coils) through catheters. This procedure is called coiling. The procedure carries a risk of stroke (blockage of brain artery) in up to a tenth of patients. Treatments that can prevent these complications will benefit patients. This trial will test whether aspirin tablets taken by the patient before coiling will reduce stroke risk. We plan to study 440 patients from centers in Canada and Germany. We will also record if patients who take aspirin (a blood thinner) experience more bleedings. To date, no trials tested the benefit of this simple treatment in coiling patients. If this study is positive, it will change the way aneurysms are treated.