Vertebral artery origin stents revisited: improved results with paclitaxel-eluting stents.
BACKGROUND
Vertebral origin angioplasty and stenting (VOAS) with bare metal stents is associated with a high rate of in-stent restenosis (ISR).


OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the rate of ISR after VOAS with drug-eluting stents.


METHODS
Twenty patients (15 men, 5 women; age range, 36-88 years; mean, 63.7 years) were treated for VOAS with a paclitaxel-eluting stent (Taxus Express2, Boston Scientific, Natick, Massachusetts). Stenosis at follow-up was quantified as insignificant (0%-24%), mild (25%-49%), moderate (50%-74%), and severe (75%-100%). ISR was defined using a binary criteria of >50% stenosis at follow-up angiography.


RESULTS
All procedures were technically successful with no periprocedural complications. Follow-up angiography (range, 4-48 months; mean, 14.7 months) showed insignificant stenosis in 9 patients, mild in 6, moderate in 4, and severe in 1. In 1 patient with "moderate" stenosis, the stent migrated distally; therefore, the lesion restenosis was not within the stent. Thus, 4 of 19 patients (21%) exhibited binary moderate or severe ISR, and 5 of 20 showed restenosis at the lesion (25%). The patient with severe stenosis developed stent thrombosis>3 years after VOAS.


CONCLUSIONS
VOAS with drug-eluting stents was associated with a low incidence of periprocedural complications. Although the rate of restenosis was half that seen with the use of bare metallic stents, 21% of patients still developed moderate or severe ISR. These patients may require>or=1 revascularization procedures. The risk of delayed stent thrombosis may necessitate lifelong dual antiplatelet medications.
Park
Min S
MS
University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
Fiorella
David
D
Stiefel
Michael F
MF
Dashti
Shervin R
SR
Gonzalez
L Fernando
LF
McDougall
Cameron G
CG
Albuquerque
Felipe C
FC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017130:Angioplasty / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D054855:Drug-Eluting Stents / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014715:Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
D017239:Paclitaxel