title: Endovascular treatment of a symptomatic extracranial vertebral artery aneurysm.
abstract: Aneurysms of the extracranial vertebral artery are uncommon, with most cases attributed to penetrating head and neck trauma. We report a 29-year-old man with a symptomatic proximal extracranial vertebral artery aneurysm of unclear etiology. This patient's aneurysm was definitively treated after a successful balloon occlusion test of his affected vertebral artery. An endovascular approach was used combining coil embolization of the distal vertebral artery and a covered stent graft in the subclavian. Although aneurysms of this size and location are traditionally repaired with open aneurysmectomy, we show that endovascular approaches can be a safe and effective alternative.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.
authors.forename: Eric K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: Ronald M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Fairman
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Foley
authors.forename: Benjamin M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Jackson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000295:instrumentation; D002533:Cerebral Angiography / Q000379:methods; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015607:Stents; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D020217:Vertebral Artery Dissection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*