title: The use of balloon-expandable stents in the management of intracranial arterial diseases: a 5-year single-center experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although stent-assisted intracranial procedures are becoming a routine clinical practice, there have been relatively few large studies published in the literature regarding the application of the balloon-expandable stent technology in the treatment of intracranial arterial diseases. In this report, the authors reviewed their experience with 75 cases at a single center.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 1998 to 2003, 75 patients underwent percutaneous transluminal intracranial stent placement as a treatment for wide-necked intracranial aneurysms and atherosclerotic stenoses. The anatomy of the target lesions, technical details of the procedures, device functionality, procedure-related complications, and short-term outcomes were reviewed in a retrospective fashion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The clinical indications included wide-necked intracranial aneurysms (59) and atherosclerotic stenoses (16). The stent was successfully deployed in 92% of the patients (69 of 75 cases). In the remaining 6 cases, the causes of failed stent deployment included arterial tortuosities (2), stent migration (2), fracture of the stent (1), and arterial perforation (1). The short-term outcome (mean follow-up, 7.5 months; range, 3-12 months) was evaluated by using the modified Rankin scale (MR spectroscopy 0-6). Fifty-three patients (70.6%) had excellent outcomes (MR spectroscopy 0-1), 12 (16%) had good outcomes (MR spectroscopy 2), and 5 (6.7%) had poor outcomes (MR spectroscopy 4-5). Five patients (6.7%) died.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of BES is associated with a high rate of hemorrhagic and ischemic complications, more specifically when used in the anterior circulation. Cases of large-necked aneurysms not treatable with balloon remodeling technique and atheromatous sclerosis could be eligible for this treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Fondation Rothschild, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Iruena Moraes
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.forename: Charbel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mounayer
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piotin
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Spelle
authors.forename: Jose Ricardo
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Vanzin
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moret
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000009:adverse effects; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002648:Child; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects