title: Drug-eluting stents for the treatment of vertebral artery origin stenosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To present our experience with the use of drug-eluting stents (DES) in patients with symptomatic vertebral artery ostium stenosis (VAOS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 2003 and 2008, 28 consecutive patients (17 men; mean age 66 years) with symptomatic extracranial vertebral artery stenosis were treated with a paclitaxel-eluting stent. All patients were prospectively scheduled for serial clinical, duplex, and angiographic follow-up to identify restenosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After stent implantation, the mean stenosis was reduced from 68% to 9%. There were no periprocedural neurological complications. After a mean follow-up of 16 months (range 5-41), no strokes, worsening of symptoms, or deaths occurred. Angiographic restenosis >50% was seen in 6 (21.4%) patients. Restenosis occurred significantly more often in patients with an ipsilateral subclavian artery stenosis (p = 0.01). Radiography during follow-up angiography revealed stent fracture in 1 patient and stent compression/kinking in 11 (39%) of the patients. Stent compression and recoil, not intimal hyperplasia, were the major contributing factors to restenosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared to the restenosis rate of bare metal stents reported in the literature, DES seems to be superior for the treatment of VAOS. However, stent compression and recoil are relevant problems contributing to restenosis. Further improvement of the materials for the interventional treatment of VAOS seems necessary.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medicine I-Angiology/Cardiology and, Park Hospital Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bräunlich
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ulrich
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bausback
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.forename: Anina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lukhaup
authors.forename: Spiridon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Botsios
authors.forename: Dierk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scheinert
authors.forename: Andrej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017130:Angioplasty; D015331:Cohort Studies; D054855:Drug-Eluting Stents; D005260:Female; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D050257:Tubulin Modulators / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014715:Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D050257:Tubulin Modulators; D017239:Paclitaxel