Traumatic spondyloptosis of the cervical spine: A case report and discussion of worldwide treatment trends.

BACKGROUND: Cervical spondyloptosis is defined as the dislocation of the spinal column most often caused by trauma. Due to compression or transection of the spinal cord, severe neurological deficits are common. Here, we review the literature and report a case of traumatic C5-6 spondyloptosis that was successfully treated using an anterior-only surgical approach. METHODS: The patient presented with quadriplegia and absent sensation distal to the C5 dermatome following a rollover motor vehicle accident. The preoperative American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale was A. Computed tomography of the cervical spine revealed C5-6 spondyloptosis, lamina fractures on the right side at the C3-4 level, and widened facet joint on the right side at C6-7. RESULTS: The patient underwent cervical traction and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion at the C5-6, C6-7 levels; no 360° fusion was warranted. Six months postoperatively, the patient remained quadriplegic below the C5 level. CONCLUSION: Presently, no consensus is present regarding the best treatment for spondyloptosis. Worldwide, the 360° approach is the most commonly used (45%), followed by anterior-only surgery (31%) and posterior-only surgery (25%). The surgical choice depends upon patient-specific features but markedly varies among geographical regions.

Use of the 8 French Simmons-2 guide catheter for carotid artery stent placement in patients with difficult aortic arch anatomy.

Inability to achieve vascular access is a common reason for failure to perform carotid artery angioplasty and stent placement. The authors report their experience with the use of an 8 Fr Simmons-2 catheter to gain carotid artery access in the setting of complex aortic arch anatomy. This guide catheter was used successfully to perform carotid artery angioplasty and stent placement in 10 patients with markedly tortuous aortic arches or supra-aortic branches. As the authors gained experience with this catheter, they used it as a first option in patients with the appropriate aortic arch anatomy.

Retrograde angioplasty for basilar artery stenosis: bypassing bilateral vertebral artery occlusions.

Basilar artery angioplasty with or without stenting is an emerging and promising treatment for vertebrobasilar insufficiency that is refractory to medical therapy. The usual approach is via a transfemoral route, with access directly through the vertebral artery (VA). An approach from the anterior circulation via the posterior communicating artery has been reported for optimal stent positioning and deployment across basilar apex aneurysms. No similar technique has been reported for treatment of midbasilar stenosis. The authors report a case of severe symptomatic basilar stenosis in which both VAs were occluded. The only option was to perform retrograde basilar angioplasty via the posterior communicating artery. This useful technique should be part of the armamentarium for the percutaneous treatment of symptomatic vertebrobasilar insufficiency for the occasional patient in whom occlusion or tortuosity precludes direct access to the VA.

Rapidly successive, symptomatic, bilateral, spontaneous vertebral artery dissections: treatment with stent reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Vertebral artery dissection has been increasingly identified as a cause of ischemic stroke in young adults. This condition is typically secondary to trauma, with spontaneous VA dissection accounting for only a minority of cases. We report the case of a patient with bilateral symptomatic spontaneous VA dissections, presenting in rapid succession. Each ictal event was successfully managed with stent reconstruction and antiplatelet therapy. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 40-year-old gentleman, with no preceding trauma or apparent inciting event, presented with the acute onset of imbalance, dysarthria, right-sided paresthesias, headache, dysphagia, and dysmetria. Workup revealed a right VA dissection with pseudoaneurysm formation, which was treated with multiple stents. He was scheduled for a 3-week follow-up angiogram and maintained on aspirin and clopidogrel. Three days before his appointment, the patient presented with severe headache and significant worsening of his dysarthria and right-sided dysmetria. Imaging demonstrated a healing right VA pseudoaneurysm, but his left VA was newly dissected with an associated pseudoaneurysm. This lesion was also successfully treated in a similar fashion. The patient did well postoperatively. Follow-up angiography demonstrated excellent vessel patency and pseudoaneurysm stabilization/regression. CONCLUSION: A case of rapidly successive, symptomatic bilateral VA dissections is presented. Ictal events occurred at separate time points and were successfully managed with stent-reconstruction and antiplatelet therapy. Through reporting our experience, we hope to raise awareness regarding this rare condition in young adults.

Endovascular intervention for acute thromboembolic stroke in young patients: an ideal population for aggressive intervention?

OBJECT: Endovascular treatment of acute thromboembolic stroke is a rapidly developing field that appears to hold great promise. Young patients may be particularly suited to benefit from endovascular acute stroke therapy. The authors sought to identify outcomes in young patients with thromboembolic stroke who underwent endovascular intervention. METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed a prospectively collected endovascular intervention registry of patients with ischemic strokes treated at a single large-volume institution between December 2000 and June 2007 to identify patients 18-35 years of age who were treated for thromboembolic stroke. Data are presented as the mean +/- standard deviation unless otherwise noted. RESULTS: Seven young patients underwent 8 consecutive endovascular interventions for thromboembolic stroke (mean age 26 +/- 6 years; 5 women). The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at presentation was 13 +/- 4.3 (median 13). All patients presented within 6 hours of symptom onset. Revascularization was attempted with mechanical thrombectomy/disruption, intraarterial thrombolysis, and/or angioplasty, with or without stent placement. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at discharge was 2.2 +/- 1.5 (median 1.5), with 5 patients (62.5%) achieving independence at discharge (mRS Score 0-2). There were no deaths. Hospital length of stay was 6.5 +/- 3.7 days (4.4 +/- 1.5 days for patients with an mRS score of 0-2; 10 +/- 3.6 days for patients with an mRS score of 4). All patients became independent and had reached an mRS score of < or = 2 at last follow-up evaluation (29 +/- 25 months). CONCLUSIONS: The data demonstrate the relative safety of endovascular intervention in young patients with thromboembolic cerebral ischemia and may suggest a potential benefit in outcome. Further investigation is indicated with larger numbers of patients and an appropriate control population.

Optimal treatment of carotid artery disease.

Extracranial carotid artery disease accounts for approximately 25% of ischemic strokes. Although carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is the established gold standard for carotid revascularization, carotid artery angioplasty and stenting (CAS) is continually developing into a safer and more efficacious method of stroke prevention. Embolic protection, improving stent designs, and ever-increasing surgeon experience are propelling CAS towards equipoise with and possible superiority to CEA. One multicenter randomized trial and several nonrandomized registries have successfully established CAS as an accepted treatment for high-risk patients. Clinicians must strive to perform well-designed clinical trials that will continue to aid understanding and improve application of both endovascular and open techniques for extracranial carotid revascularization. We review the data published to date regarding the indications for and recent developments in the use of CAS.

Middle cerebral artery stenting for acute ischemic stroke after unsuccessful Merci retrieval.

OBJECTIVE: Intracranial stenting has been used in the treatment of ischemic stroke caused by acute intracranial vessel occlusion after unsuccessful recanalization with the Merci retriever. We describe our early experience with this technique. METHODS: Patients who had intra-arterial therapy for acute ischemic stroke with concomitant use of the retriever between February 1, 2005 and May 2, 2006 were identified from our endovascular database. Cases in which recanalization was not achieved with the retriever and in which stenting was attempted as a secondary means of mechanical recanalization were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Ten patients with unsuccessful Merci retrieval underwent intracranial stenting. The average admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 16.4. Occlusions were located in the middle cerebral artery (six extended into M2 branches). Four patients received intra-arterial reteplase (two prestent, one preretriever and poststent, and one poststent). Eptifibatide was administered immediately before stenting in every patient. Successful recanalization (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction 2 or 3) was achieved in nine out of 10 patients. Complications included an extradural perforation with arteriovenous fistula. Six patients had intracranial hematoma and/or subarachnoid hemorrhage; there were four deaths. The six surviving patients experienced at least a 6-point National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale improvement at discharge, although only one had a modified Rankin Scale score of 2 or less. CONCLUSION: Angiographic recanalization has been associated with improvement in clinical outcome after acute cerebral ischemia. Recanalization is not always achieved using the Merci retriever. We found that stenting after unsuccessful Merci retrieval resulted in a high rate of angiographic success. Further research into refining indications and optimizing outcome is warranted.