Thrombectomy for acute basilar artery occlusion by using double Merci retriever devices and bilateral temporary vertebral artery flow reversal. Technical note.
Basilar artery occlusion is a dramatic clinical event with a high mortality rate if patients are treated by standard medical therapy, including anticoagulation agents. The use of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator or intraarterial thrombolysis recanalizes 30-53 and 64%, respectively, of patients with basilar stroke. Mechanical endovascular treatments allow tailored procedures with quicker results and higher recanalization rates. The authors describe a successful mechanical removal of an obstruction in an acute occlusion of the basilar artery tip involving both proximal segments of posterior cerebral arteries in a 20-year-old man. They used 2 Merci retriever devices at the same time, and performed bilateral proximal vertebral artery occlusion for temporary flow reversal and aspiration.
Clarençon
Frédéric
F
Department of Neuroradiology, Faculty of Medicine, APHP-Henri Mondor Hospital, Créteil, France. fredclare5@msn.com
Blanc
Raphaël
R
Gallas
Sophie
S
Hosseini
Hassan
H
Gaston
André
A
D000208:Acute Disease; D001488:Basilar Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D006801:Humans; D020766:Intracranial Embolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D017131:Thrombectomy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014715:Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult