title: Endovascular treatment of distal posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the feasibility and results of endovascular treatment for ruptured distal posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) aneurysms.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed our experience and results with endovascular treatments for a series of 13 consecutive patients with ruptured distal PICA aneurysms at the Southwest Hospital, Chongqing, China, treated between June 2011 and January 2015. Therapeutic considerations, intraoperative complications, and results were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Endovascular embolization was performed in all 13 patients including selective coiling (4), stentassisted coiling (2), microcatheter-assisted coiling (1), coiling without adjunctive techniques (1), and parent artery occlusion (5). Planed stent deployment failure occurred in one patients resulting from marked stenosis at the origin of the PICA; the patient`s existing partial Wallenberg`s syndrome became worse after treatment. Another 2 patients treated with parent artery occlusion recovered well without developing obvious neurological deficits, although a small cerebellar infarction of the distal PICA was observed. No patient experienced post procedural hemorrhage during the follow-up period (8-46 months; mean, 26.8 months).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Distal PICA aneurysms can be managed effectively with various endovascular methods. Protective strategies using a stent or microcatheter for preserving the patency of the proximal PICA segment are a viable treatment option in reducing the potential risk of brain stem ischemia in selected patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Linjie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Qianwei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017542:Aneurysm, Ruptured / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000098:blood supply*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002681:China; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000379:methods*; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*