Introduction:
Patients with pre-existing severe intracranial arterial stenosis are at increased risk of re-current stroke. The treatment modalities for patients presenting with acute stroke symptoms are limited due to risk of re-occlusion after thrombolysis. Following re-canalization of an occluded stenotic vessel, stenting can prevent re-occlusion. Currently the only FDA approved stent specifically indicated for intracranial stenosis is the wingspan stent which is listed as a Humanitarian Use Device (HUD). With the efficacy and safety of intracranial stenting still in question we present a 3 year retrospective review of a community based hospitals outcomes with stenting in an acute stroke setting.
Methods:
Between 2009-2012 our group treated 47 patients with intracranial stenosis presenting with acute ischemic stroke. These patients had failure of intravenous thrombolysis or had contraindications for its use, had symptomatic intracranial stenosis or tandem lesions, had evidence of salvageable tissue determined by CT perfusion scanning and had an acute infarct not exceeding 1/3 of the affected vascular territory. All patients were treated within 12 hours of the acute event and received the Wingspan intracranial stent after successful thrombolysis. Fifteen patients had posterior circulation stenosis and 32 patients had anterior circulation stenosis.
Results:
The 30 day post-procedural stroke rate was 12.8%, with a total early mortality rate of 8.4% (Table). The 35 patients with no complications had an average of 4 points improvement in NIHSS post procedure (Figure). Of these patients 15 were discharged home, 10 discharged to acute rehabilitation facilities, and 10 were transferred to nursing homes.
Conclusion:
Intracranial stenting using the Wingspan device results in significant clinical improvement in patients with acutely symptomatic intracranial stenosis, with acceptable mortality and low rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage.
Diagnostic TCD for intracranial stenosis in acute stroke patients: experience from a tertiary care stroke center in Karachi, Pakistan
