title: Safety, feasibility, and mid-term follow-up of Willis stent graft placement in the treatment of symptomatic complicated intra- or extra-cranial aneurysms: a multicenter experience.
abstract: We report the technical success rate and mid-term follow-up results after deploying stent-grafts to treat a cohort of patients with symptomatic complicated intra- or extracranial aneurysms (SCIEAs). This study was a retrospective review of 58 patients (39 male; mean age 40.4 ± 12.3 years) with 60 SCIEAs treated by 67 Willis covered stents at three medical centers in China between April 2005 and January 2010. The locations of the SCIEAs were as follows: Intracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) in 54 patients, extracranial ICA in one, intracranial vertebral artery (VA) in three and extra-cranial VA in two. Surgery was successful in 59 (98.3%) SCIEAs. Total exclusion was immediately achieved in 48 SCIEAs, and minor endoleaks were present in 11. Acute thrombosis occurred in two patients and hemorrhage in one. Follow-up angiography (mean 13.8 ± 8.9 months) revealed that 49 of 52 (94.2%) aneurysms were completely isolated, with mild in-stent stenosis in only two patients and in-stent occlusion in one patient. Willis stent-graft application is an alternative therapy to treat SCIEAs in either intra- or extracranial ICAs or VAs. In the case of a tortuous intracranial ICA or potential side branch coverage, however, it is still not a first choice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, The Sixth Affiliated People's Hospital, Medical School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 600 Yi Shan Road, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yue-Qi
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Bin-Xian
authors.initials: BX
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Ming-Hua
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ying-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Hua-Qiao
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Jian-Bo
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Pei-Lei
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lian-Ting
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000783:Aneurysm / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D000792:Angiography; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult