[Complications of stent-assistant angioplasty of symptomatic intracranial artery stenosis].
OBJECTIVE
To discuss the safety of intracranial stenting for refractory symptomatic intracranial artery stenosis.


METHODS
Forty-eight patients with symptomatic intracranial artery stenosis were treated by transluminal stent-assistant angioplasty. Of them, 40 cases were selected because they had recurrent TIAs or mild stroke despite of antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapy; 8 cases with high-grade stenosis after acute cerebral artery theromblysis. Lesions involved MCA (17/48); Basilar artery (8/48); intracranial vertebral artery (18/18); and distal ICA (5/18).


RESULTS
For 46 of 48 cases the flexible coronary stent were successfully deployed. The average stenosis reduced from 83% to 5%, short-term follow-up showed good clinical improvement. Complications include vessel rupture (1/18); acute thrombosis within stent (1/48); perforation of cortical artery (1/18) and perforate vessel occlusion (1/18).


CONCLUSIONS
Stent-assistant angioplasty are effective for treatment of symptomatic intracranial stenosis, the higher rate of complications may be because of the limited experiences of this technique. it need further practise and long term follow-up study.
Zhang
Quan-zhong
QZ
Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu hospital, Thecapital medical university, Beijing 100053, China.
Miao
Zhong-rong
ZR
Li
Shen-mao
SM
Zhu
Feng-shui
FS
Hua
Yang
Y
Wang
Mo-li
ML
Song
Qing-bin
QB
Ling
Feng
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017130:Angioplasty / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D002539:Cerebral Arterial Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects*