ABSTRACT
Objective Toinvestigatetheoperativeeffectandsafetyofendovascularstentingfor thetreatmentofsymptomaticvertebralarteryostialstenosis.Methods Fortypatientswithsymptomatic vertebral artery ostial stenosis and stenosis rate ≥70% were admitted to the Department of Neurology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital from November 2010 to January 2013 were enrolled retrospectively. All patients received endovascular stenting therapy,15 of them were implanted bare metal stents,and 25 were implanted drug eluting stents. The technical successful rate of operation,perioperation complications,and symptom remission rate of the patients were analyzed. At the same time,stroke and death incident as well as the related ischemic symptoms of the stent vascular feeding area in the follow-up period (13 to 36 months)wereobservedandtherestenosisratewasdocumented.Results Atotalof42stentswereimplanted in 40 patients,and the technical success rate was 100. 0%. The preoperative stenosis rate of vertebral artery ostial stenosis was 75% to 99%(mean 85 ± 7%);the postoperative stenosis rate was 0% to 20%(mean 6 ± 4%). There was no perioperative complication. The clinical symptoms of 19 patients disappeared completely,16 were improved significantly within the follow-up period,and the symptom remission rate was 87. 5%. No stent vascular feeding area related stroke and death occurred. Four patients had transient ischemic attack in posterior circulation,13 had restenosis after procedure (10 of them with bare mental stents and 3 with drug eluting stents). There was significant difference in restenosis rate between the bare mental stents andthedrugelutingstents(10/15vs3/25,P=0.001).Conclusion Endovascularstentingforthe treatment of the severe symptomatic vertebral artery ostial stenosis is a safe and efficient method. Although its restenosis rate is high,but it can improve the symptom of posterior circulation ischemia effectively.