ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To discuss the clinical efficacy and safety of balloon-expandable stent in the treatment of symptomatic atherosclerotic cerebral artery stenosis in the middle cerebral artery(MCA), and to assess the appropriate methods of postoperative follow-up auxiliary examination. METHODS: A total of 67 patients with symptomatic atherosclerotic cerebral artery stenosis in the MCA were treated with balloon-expandable stent. The clinical data and follow-up data were collected and then analyzed retrospectively.RESULTS: the success rate of the surgical treatment with balloon-expandable stent was 98.51%(66/67). The incidence of symptomatic perioperative complications was 4.48%(3/67). All patients received clinical follow-up, and the auxiliary examination methods of the internal condition lesion of the stent included transcranial Doppler(TCD) or digital subtraction angiography(DSA). The incidence of in-stent restenosis or occlusion was 8.96%(6/67), and the consistency rate of stent restenosis or occlusion between TCD and DSA was75.00%, and the incidence of symptomatic in-stent restenosis or occlusion was 2.99%(2/67). It was found that there were two patients with recurrent stroke in cerebrovascular stent related region but without in-stent restenosis, and within 1 year of follow-up, the incidence of symptomatic stroke in stent-associated areas after operation was 10.44%(7/67). CONCLUSION: The treatment with balloonexpandable stent for symptomatic MCA stenosis has good clinical effect. The incidence of perioperative complications is low and the incidence of stroke in stent-associated areas after operation is low. TCD is an effective way of follow-up after the arterial stenting in the brain, which can play a role in the early detection of the in-stent restenosis, and its consistency with DSA is high.