Clopidogrel resistance is a condition in which the drug clopidogrel is less effective than normal in people who are treated with it.

Kim et al. from the Asan Medical Center retrospectively analyzed the data of 427 patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms who underwent endovascular treatment between July 2011 and June 2014. When clopidogrel resistance was confirmed via platelet reactivity unit (PRU) assay after dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin plus clopidogrel) administration for 5 days, triple antiplatelet therapy with cilostazol was administered (Group I, 274 patients). The other group was placed on standard dual antiplatelet therapy (Group II, 153 patients). All patients underwent magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging within 2 days after endovascular coiling.

No significant associations with the occurrence of a thromboembolic event and microembolic event were found between the groups. The occurrence of thromboembolic and microembolic events showed no statistical difference between groups I and II (p = 0.725 for thromboembolic events and p = 0.109 for microembolic events). Also, the PRU value and the occurrence of microembolic events, using a PRU cutoff value of 240, showed no statistical difference (p = 0.114 in group I and 0.064 in group II). There was significant increase in microembolic events after the use of a stent-assisted endovascular procedure. As the PRU value increased, there was a trend toward an increase in the mean number of microembolic lesions without statistical significance.

Even though there is a presumed anti-thromboembolic effect for clopidogrel resistance in other literature, the clinical efficacy of adjustment of additional cilostazol for endovascular coiling of unruptured aneurysms may be limited due to the unspecified cutoff value of the PRU assay for evaluating the resistance ¹⁾.