The first tranche of cases utilising a novel radial guide catheter have suggested safety and effectiveness with the device, potentially expanding the applicability of transradial access approaches across a number of neurovascular procedure types.
Presented by Waleed Brinjikji (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA) on behalf of his co-investigator Tareq Kass-Hout (University of Chicago, Chicago, USA) at the recent Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN) annual meeting (19–22 November 2025, Orlando, USA), the first 150 cases with the Neuglide catheter (Piraeus Medical)—which has a 0.087-inch inner diameter (ID) and is compatible with 7Fr sheaths—revealed that 98% of procedures were completed successfully without conversion to transfemoral access.
“There has been growing interest in transradial procedures over the past decade due to substantial reductions in access site complications as well as improved patient recovery,” Brinjikji said. “While several radial-specific neurovascular catheters have come to market, all catheters that are compatible with a 7Fr sheath have small IDs (0.079–0.082 inches), which can limit use of modern intermediate catheters, [and] larger-ID catheters cannot be used with a radial sheath, resulting in complications related to radial artery spasm and entrapment.”
Brinjikji and Kass-Hout conducted a dual-centre, retrospective case series of patients undergoing transarterial neuroendovascular procedures via radial access using the 87 Neuglide catheter. Their primary outcome of interest was delivery of the catheter to the target vessel and successful completion of the procedure without the need to convert to femoral access or an alternative guide.
Relaying “descriptive statistics” from the 150 patients included in this case series, Brinjikji reported that the most common procedure was middle meningeal artery embolisation (MMAe) followed by endovascular brain aneurysm embolisation. In addition to 98% of procedures being successful without conversion to femoral access, 82% were completed without the need for an intermediate guide catheter. Overall, only three procedures required conversion to femoral access, and there were no access site-related or neurological complications, according to Brinjikji.
The study investigators believe that these new data not only show that the Neuglide catheter is both safe and effective for neurovascular procedures, but also that its larger ID and 7Fr-compatible outer diameter allow for usage alongside standard 5Fr and 6Fr intermediate and aspiration catheters.
“For years, we’ve aimed to adopt 100% radial access in neurointervention, but only with the Neuglide catheter do we finally feel confident in consistently reaching the intracranial circulation—while gaining the reassurance of avoiding radial-access complications,” Kass-Hout told NeuroNews.
