title: Treatment of posterior circulation aneurysms with the pipeline embolization device.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms with the pipeline embolization device (PED) has become common practice in neurovascular centers. Very few studies have assessed the safety and efficacy of PED treatment for posterior circulation aneurysms.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To retrospectively present our experience with use of the PED in the posterior circulation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 7 patients harboring 7 posterior circulation aneurysms were treated with the PED at our institution between November 2011 and July 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Aneurysm size was 14.1 mm on average. All patients had unruptured aneurysms. Three aneurysms arose from the vertebral artery, 2 from the basilar artery, and 2 from the vertebrobasilar junction. A single stent was used in 4 patients, 2 stents in 2 patients, and 3 stents in 1 patient. Treatment was successful in all 7 patients. No procedural complications or perforator infarcts were noted in the series. No patient experienced new neurological symptoms related to PED treatment during the follow-up period. Angiographic follow-up was available for 6 patients at a mean time point of 5.5 months. Follow-up angiography showed 100% aneurysm occlusion in 3 patients, marked decrease in aneurysm size in 2 patients, and no change in 1 patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our initial experience, it appears that PED treatment in select patients with vertebrobasilar aneurysms may have a reasonable safety-efficacy profile. Larger studies are needed to confirm our findings.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA.
authors: Nohra
authors: N
authors: Chalouhi
authors: Stavropoula
authors: S
authors: Tjoumakaris
authors: Aaron S
authors: AS
authors: Dumont
authors: L Fernando
authors: LF
authors: Gonzalez
authors: Ciro
authors: C
authors: Randazzo
authors: Robert M
authors: RM
authors: Starke
authors: Robert H
authors: RH
authors: Rosenwasser
authors: Pascal
authors: P
authors: Jabbour
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome