title: Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Patency after Flow-Diverting Stent Treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The rate of PICA occlusion after flow-diverting stent placement for vertebral and vertebrobasilar artery aneurysms is not known. The purpose of this study is to determine the medium-term rate of PICA patency and risk factors for occlusion after such aneurysm treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were identified who had vertebral or vertebrobasilar artery aneurysms and who were treated by placing a flow-diverting stent across the PICA ostium. Demographic and procedural factors associated with stent placement were recorded. Patency of the PICA was evaluated immediately after stent placement and on follow-up angiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen patients with vertebral or vertebrobasilar artery aneurysms were treated in the study period, of whom 4 presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. The average number of devices that spanned the PICA ostium was 1.77 (range, 1-3), with no immediate PICA occlusions. There were no postoperative strokes in the treated PICA territory, although there was 1 contralateral PICA-territory stroke of unclear etiology without clinical sequelae. In 11 patients with follow-up angiography at a mean of 10.6 months (range, 0.67-27.9 months), the PICA patency rate remained 100%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Flow-diverting stent placement across the PICA ostium in the treatment of vertebral and vertebrobasilar artery aneurysms may not result in immediate or midterm PICA occlusion.
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Neurological Surgery (M.R.L., F.C.A., K.M., M.Y.S.K., C.G.M.), Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona.
authors.forename: M R
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3612-3347
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Levitt
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neurosurgery and Radiology (M.S.P.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
authors.forename: M S
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1966-8863
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Neurological Surgery (M.R.L., F.C.A., K.M., M.Y.S.K., C.G.M.), Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona Neuropub@dignityhealth.org.
authors.forename: F C
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2655-3810
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Albuquerque
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Neurological Surgery (M.R.L., F.C.A., K.M., M.Y.S.K., C.G.M.), Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona.
authors.forename: K
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7984-5801
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Neurological Surgery (M.R.L., F.C.A., K.M., M.Y.S.K., C.G.M.), Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona.
authors.forename: M Y S
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5923-1255
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Kalani
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Neurological Surgery (M.R.L., F.C.A., K.M., M.Y.S.K., C.G.M.), Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona.
authors.forename: C G
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7372-7049
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: McDougall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001488:Basilar Artery / Q000601:surgery; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015607:Stents; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology; D014654:Vascular Patency; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000601:surgery