The Study Of Endovascular Stent-assisted Angioplasty For Intracranial Vertebrobasilar Stenosis

Objective: To investigate the indications, safety and effects of intracranial deployment of stent in treatment of symptomatic intracranial vertebrobasilar artery stenosis.Methods: Stent-assisted angioplasty was performed upon 66 consecutive patients with symptoms of intracranial veterbrobasilar artery stenosis unresponsive to anticoagulant therapy and antiplatelet therapy. Of these patients ,46 had symptomatic intracranial vertebral artery stenosis, 20 had basilar artery stenosis. The right femoral artery was punctured using seldinger technique and a 6F sheath was set. Putting the coronary stent into the lesions and inflate it under the guidance of microwire through 6F ENVOY in general or local anesthesia.Results: In the 64 patients, the degree of intracranial artery stenosis reduced from 82.22 ± 11.59% to 4. 53±6. 05%, p <0. 01. The successful rate of stent implantation was 96%. Within mean follow up of 21 months (ranged from 3 month to 48 months) to 43 patients , 2 cases died ,restenosis in 8 cases, the rate of restenosis is 18.6%.Conclusions: Preliminary results suggest that transluminal stent-assisted angioplasty in the treatment of intracranial vertebrobasilar ischemia to be safe and effective. Long-term angiographic and clinical follow-up for monitoring a larger number of patients is needed.