Preliminary experience of overlapping multi-stent angioplasty for the treatment of vertebral artery dolichoectasia / 中国脑血管病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To preliminarily investigate the safety and long-term efficacy of endovascular overlapping multi-stent angioplasty for the treatment of vertebral artery dolichoectasia.Methods From May 2009 to January 2011,the clinical and imaging data of 3 patients with vertebral artery dolichoectasia treated with overlapping multi-stent implantation at the Department of Neurosurgery,Changhai Hospital,the Second Military Medical University were analyzed retrospectively.All 3 patients had prolongation and dilation on the left intracranial vertebral artery.One suffered compression of left medulla oblongata accompanied by old infarction of right thalamus,one complicated with ruptured aneurysm of left posterior cerebral artery received coil occlusion of the parent artery,and the other had a lacuna infarction on the left medulla oblongata with left intracranial vertebral artery dissection.Results 2-5 LEO stents were implanted into the left vertebral artery of each patient and the lesions were covered completely.The revascularization was successful in all patients and no perioperative complications occurred.The 3 patients were followed up for 5-8 years and no new clinical symptoms occurred.The modified Rankin scale score was 0.The DSA follow-up revealed that the vascular morphology of 2 cases was significantly improved compared with that before procedure.Conclusion The preliminary experience has shown that overlapping multi-stent angioplasty for the treatment of vertebral artery dolichoectasia is safe and the long-term effect of revascularization is satisfactory.