Efficacy and current limitations of intravascular stents for intracranial internal carotid, vertebral, and basilar artery aneurysms

1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 538-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Lanzino ◽  
Ajay K. Wakhloo ◽  
Richard D. Fessler ◽  
Mary L. Hartney ◽  
Lee R. Guterman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Basilar Artery ◽  
Stent Placement ◽  
Internal Carotid ◽  
High Porosity ◽  
Parent Vessel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aneurysm Neck ◽  
Paraclinoid Aneurysms ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Results of previous in vitro and in vivo experimental studies have suggested that placement of a porous stent within the parent artery across the aneurysm neck may hemodynamically uncouple the aneurysm from the parent vessel, leading to thrombosis of the aneurysm. For complex wide-necked aneurysms, a stent may also aid packing of the aneurysm with Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs) by acting as a rigid scaffold that prevents coil herniation into the parent vessel. Recently, improved stent system delivery technology has allowed access to the tortuous vascular segments of the intracranial system. The authors report here on the use of intracranial stents to treat aneurysms involving different segments of the internal carotid artery (ICA), the vertebral artery (VA), and the basilar artery (BA).Methods. Ten patients with intracranial aneurysms located at ICA segments (one petrous, two cavernous, and three paraclinoid aneurysms), the VA proximal to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery origin (one aneurysm), or the BA trunk (three aneurysms) were treated since January 1998. In eight patients, stent placement across the aneurysm neck was followed (immediately in four patients and at a separate procedure in the remaining four) by coil placement in the aneurysm, accomplished via a microcatheter through the stent mesh. In two patients, wide-necked aneurysms (one partially thrombosed BA trunk aneurysm and one paraclinoid segment aneurysm) were treated solely by stent placement; coil placement may follow later if necessary.No permanent periprocedural complications occurred and, at follow-up examination, no patient was found to have suffered symptoms referable to aneurysm growth or thromboembolic complications. Greater than 90% aneurysm occlusion was achieved in the eight patients treated by stent and coil placement as demonstrated on immediate postprocedural angiograms. Follow-up angiographic studies performed in six patients at least 3 months later (range 3–14 months) revealed only one incident of in-stent stenosis. In the four patients originally treated solely by stent placement, no evidence of aneurysm thrombosis was observed either immediately postprocedure or on follow-up angiographic studies performed 24 hours (two patients), 48 hours, and 3 months later, respectively.Conclusions. A new generation of flexible stents can be used to treat complex aneurysms in difficult-to-access areas such as the proximal intracranial segments of the ICA, the VA, or the BA trunk. The stent allows tight coil packing even in the presence of a wide-necked, irregularly shaped aneurysm and may provide an endoluminal matrix for endothelial growth. Although convincing experimental evidence suggests that stent placement across the aneurysm neck may by itself promote intraluminal thrombosis, the role of this phenomenon in clinical practice may be limited at present by the high porosity of currently available stents.

Intravascular stents for intracranial internal carotid and vertebral artery aneurysms: preliminary clinical experience

1998 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. E5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Lanzino ◽  
Ajay K. Wakhloo ◽  
Richard D. Fessler ◽  
Robert A. Mericle ◽  
Lee R. Guterman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vertebral Artery ◽  
Stent Placement ◽  
Intracranial Aneurysms ◽  
Internal Carotid ◽  
Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery ◽  
Parent Artery ◽  
High Porosity ◽  
Parent Vessel ◽  
Aneurysm Neck

Results of previous in vitro and in vivo experimental studies have suggested that the placement of a porous stent within the parent artery across the aneurysm neck may hemodynamically uncouple the aneurysm from the parent vessel, leading to thrombosis of the aneurysm. For complex wide-necked aneurysms, a stent may also aid the packing of the aneurysm with Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs) by acting as a rigid scaffold that prevents coil herniation into the parent vessel. Recently, improved stent system delivery technology has allowed access to the tortuous vascular segments of the intracranial system. The authors report here the intracranial stenting of aneurysms involving different segments of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and the vertebral artery (VA). Four patients with intracranial aneurysms located at the petrous, cavernous, and paraclinoid segments of the ICA and at the VA proximal to the origin of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery, respectively, were treated since January 1998. In three of these patients, stent placement across the aneurysm neck was followed by GDC placement, accomplished via a microcatheter through stent mesh. In one patient, the aneurysm was treated solely by stenting. No periprocedural complications were observed, and at follow up, no patient was found to have suffered symptoms referable to aneurysm growth or thromboembolic complications. More than 90% occlusion of the aneurysm was achieved in the three cases treated by stenting and GDC placement. One of these patients underwent 6-month follow-up angiography that did not reveal any in-stent stenosis. In the case treated solely by stent placement, no evidence of aneurysm thrombosis was observed either immediately postprocedure or on follow-up angiography performed 24 hours later. A new generation of flexible stents can be used to treat intracranial aneurysms in difficult-to-access areas such as the proximal intracranial segments of the ICA or the VA. The stent allows tight coil packing even in the presence of a wide-necked, irregularly shaped aneurysm and may provide an endoluminal matrix for endothelial growth. Although convincing experimental evidence suggests that stent placement across the aneurysm neck may by itself promote intraluminal thrombosis, the role of this phenomenon in clinical practice may be limited at present by the high porosity of currently available stents.

Detachable balloon embolization therapy of posterior circulation intracranial aneurysms

1989 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 512-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall T. Higashida ◽  
Van V. Halbach ◽  
Leslie D. Cahan ◽  
Grant B. Hieshima ◽  
Yoshifumi Konishi
Keyword(s):  
Basilar Artery ◽  
Intracranial Aneurysms ◽  
Posterior Circulation ◽  
Parent Artery ◽  
Parent Vessel ◽  
Detachable Balloon ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aneurysm Neck ◽  
Balloon Embolization ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Treatment of complex and surgically difficult intracranial aneurysms of the posterior circulation is now being performed with intravascular detachable balloon embolization techniques. The procedure is carried out under local anesthesia from a transfemoral arterial approach, which allows continuous neurological monitoring. Under fluoroscopic guidance, the balloon is propelled by blood flow through the intracranial circulation and, in most cases, can be guided directly into the aneurysm, thus preserving the parent vessel. If an aneurysm neck is not present, test occlusion of the parent vessel is performed and, if tolerated, the balloon is detached. Twenty-six aneurysms in 25 patients have been treated by this technique. The aneurysms have involved the distal vertebral artery (five cases), the mid-basilar artery (six cases), the distal basilar artery (11 cases), and the posterior cerebral artery (four cases). The aneurysms varied in size and included three small (< 12 mm), 15 large (12 to 25 mm), and eight giant (> 25 mm). Fifteen patients (60%) presented with hemorrhage and 10 patients (40%) with mass effect. In 17 cases (65%) direct balloon embolization of the aneurysm was achieved with preservation of the parent artery. In nine cases (35%), because of aneurysm location and size, occlusion of the parent vessel was performed. Complications from therapy included three cases of transient cerebral ischemia which resolved, three cases of stroke, and five deaths due to immediate or delayed aneurysm rupture. The follow-up period has ranged from 2 months to 43 months (mean 22.5 months). In cases where posterior circulation aneurysms have been difficult to treat by conventional neurosurgical techniques, intravascular detachable balloon embolization may offer an alternative therapeutic option.

Enlargement of basilar artery aneurysms following balloon occlusion — “water-hammer effect”

1991 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 963-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eddie S. K. Kwan ◽  
Carl B. Heilman ◽  
William A. Shucart ◽  
Richard P. Klucznik
Keyword(s):  
Basilar Artery ◽  
Water Hammer ◽  
Balloon Occlusion ◽  
Successful Therapy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aneurysm Neck ◽  
Water Hammer Effect ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Two patients with distal basilar aneurysms were treated with intra-aneurysmal balloon occlusion. After apparently successful therapy, follow-up angiograms demonstrated aneurysm enlargement with balloon migration distally in the sac. Geometric mismatch between the base of the balloons and the aneurysm neck together with transmitted pulsation through the 2-hydroxyl-ethylmethacrylate (HEMA)-filled balloon directly contributed to aneurysm enlargement. In this report, the authors discuss the problems of progressive aneurysm enlargement due to a “water-hammer effect” and the possibility of hemorrhage following subtotal occlusion.

Endovascular therapy for stenosis of the petrous or cavernous portion of the internal carotid artery: percutaneous transluminal angioplasty compared with stent placement

2003 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 491-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoaki Terada ◽  
Mitsuharu Tsuura ◽  
Hiroyuki Matsumoto ◽  
Osamu Masuo ◽  
Tomoyuki Tsumoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carotid Artery ◽  
Stent Placement ◽  
Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty ◽  
Internal Carotid ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Transluminal Angioplasty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Percutaneous Transluminal ◽  
Fine Print

Object. The effects of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and stent placement for stenosis of the petrous or cavernous portion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) were compared. Methods. Twenty-four patients with symptomatic, greater than 60% stenosis of the petrous or cavernous portion of the ICA were treated using PTA or stent placement; 15 were treated with PTA and nine with stent insertion. Initial and follow-up results (> 3 months posttreatment) were compared in each group. Stenotic portions of the ICA were successfully opened in 13 of 15 patients in the PTA group, and in all nine patients in the stent-treated group. In one case in the PTA group stent delivery was attempted; however, the device could not pass through the vessel's tortuous curve, and PTA alone was performed in this case. Postoperatively, the mean stenotic ratio decreased from 72.1 to 29.6% in the PTA group, and from 75.6 to 2.2% in the stent-treated group. In four patients in the PTA group, stenoses greater than 50% were demonstrated on follow-up angiography performed at 3 to 6 months after PTA. In the stent-treated group, no restenosis was encountered, although in one case acute occlusion of the stent occurred; the device was recanalized with PTA and infusion of tissue plasminogen activator. This case was the only one of the 24 in which any neurological deficits related to the endovascular procedure occurred. Stent placement brought a greater gain in diameter than did PTA at the initial and late follow-up period; this gain was statistically significant. Conclusions. Stent placement is more effective than PTA for stenosis of the petrous or cavernous portion of the ICA from the viewpoint of initial and late gain in diameter.

Balloon-assisted microvascular clipping of paraclinoid aneurysms

2004 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 713-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Thorell ◽  
Peter Rasmussen ◽  
John Perl ◽  
Thomas Masaryk ◽  
Marc Mayberg
Keyword(s):  
Carotid Artery ◽  
Internal Carotid Artery ◽  
Internal Carotid ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Parent Vessel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Complex Aneurysms ◽  
Microsurgical Clipping ◽  
Paraclinoid Aneurysms ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Paraclinoid aneurysms represent a significant surgical challenge. Multiple techniques have been developed to maximize the effectiveness and safety of excluding these aneurysms from the cerebral circulation. Endovascular balloons have been used for proximal control of parent arteries during the treatment of aneurysms. In this report the authors describe the technique of navigating an endovascular balloon across the neck of paraclinoid aneurysms in four patients to gain proximal control, improve the accuracy of clip placement, and reduce the risk of distal embolization of intraluminal thrombus. Six consecutive patients with giant or complex aneurysms of the ophthalmic or paraclinoid internal carotid artery that were not amenable to endovascular obliteration were retrospectively analyzed. In all six patients, the aneurysm was exposed and dissected for microsurgical clipping, and attempts were made to navigate a nondetachable, compliant silicone balloon across the neck of the aneurysm. If successfully placed, the balloon was inflated during clip placement. In four patients, the balloon was successfully navigated across the neck of the aneurysm and was inflated during clip application. Internal carotid artery tortuosity precluded navigation of the balloon into the intracranial circulation in two patients. All aneurysms were completely excluded from the parent vessel according to postoperative angiography studies. No complication occurred as a direct result of the endovascular portion of the procedure. Endovascular balloon stenting of complex paraclinoid aneurysms during microvascular clipping may provide an adjunctive therapy that facilitates safe and accurate clip placement.

A fatal, chronically growing basilar artery: a new type of dissecting aneurysm

1996 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 962-971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tohru Mizutani
Keyword(s):  
Mr Imaging ◽  
Basilar Artery ◽  
Dissecting Aneurysm ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Asymptomatic Patients ◽  
Basilar Arteries ◽  
Fine Print

✓ A long-term follow-up study (minimum duration 2 years) was made of 13 patients with tortuous dilated basilar arteries. Of these, five patients had symptoms related to the presence of such arteries. Symptoms present at a very early stage included vertebrobasilar insufficiency in two patients, brainstem infarction in two patients, and left hemifacial spasm in one patient. Initial magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in serial slices of basilar arteries obtained from the five symptomatic patients showed an intimal flap or a subadventitial hematoma, both of which are characteristic of a dissecting aneurysm. In contrast, the basilar arteries in the eight asymptomatic patients did not show particular findings and they remained clinically and radiologically silent during the follow-up period. All of the lesions in the five symptomatic patients gradually grew to fantastic sizes, with progressive deterioration of the related clinical symptoms. Dilation of the basilar artery was consistent with hemorrhage into the “pseudolumen” within the laminated thrombus, which was confirmed by MR imaging studies. Of the five symptomatic patients studied, two died of fatal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and two of brainstem compression; the fifth patient remains alive without neurological deficits. In the three patients who underwent autopsy, a definite macroscopic double lumen was observed in both the proximal and distal ends of the aneurysms within the layer of the thickening intima. Microscopically, multiple mural dissections, fragmentation of internal elastic lamina (IEL), and degeneration of media were diffusely observed in the remarkably extended wall of the aneurysms. The substantial mechanism of pathogenesis and enlargement in the symptomatic, highly tortuous dilated artery might initially be macroscopic dissection within a thickening intima and subsequent repetitive hemorrhaging within a laminated thrombus in the pseudolumen combined with microscopic multiple mural dissections on the basis of a weakened IEL. The authors note and caution that symptomatic, tortuous dilated basilar arteries cannot be overlooked because they include a group of malignant arteries that may grow rapidly, resulting in a fatal course.

Transluminal angioplasty for atherosclerotic disease of the vertebral and basilar arteries

1993 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall T. Higashida ◽  
Fong Y. Tsai ◽  
Van V. Halbach ◽  
Christopher F. Dowd ◽  
Tony Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vertebral Artery ◽  
Basilar Artery ◽  
Cerebral Circulation ◽  
Transluminal Angioplasty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Atherosclerotic Stenosis ◽  
Basilar Arteries ◽  
Posterior Cerebral Circulation ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Transluminal angioplasty for hemodynamically significant stenosis (> 70%) involving the posterior cerebral circulation is now being performed by the authors in selected cases. A total of 42 lesions affecting the vertebral or basilar artery have been successfully treated by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty techniques in 41 patients. The lesions involved the proximal vertebral artery in 34 cases, the distal vertebral artery in five, and the basilar artery in three. Patients were examined clinically at 1 to 3 and 6 to 12 months after angioplasty. Three (7.1%) permanent complications occurred, consisting of stroke in two cases and vessel rupture in one. There were four (9.5%) transient complications (< 30 minutes): two cases of vessel spasm and two of cerebral ischemia. Clinical follow-up examination demonstrated improvement of symptoms in 39 cases (92.9%). Radiographic follow-up studies demonstrated three cases (7.1 %) of restenosis involving the proximal vertebral artery; two were treated by repeat angioplasty without complication, and the third is being followed clinically while the patient remains asymptomatic. In patients with significant atherosclerotic stenosis involving the vertebral or basilar artery territories, transluminal angioplasty may be of significant benefit in alleviating symptoms and improving blood flow to the posterior cerebral circulation.

Patient presentation, angiographic features, and treatment of strangulation-induced dissection of the internal carotid artery

2000 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adel M. Malek ◽  
Randall T. Higashida ◽  
Van V. Halbach ◽  
Christopher F. Dowd ◽  
Constantine C. Phatouros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Carotid Artery ◽  
Internal Carotid Artery ◽  
Stent Placement ◽  
Internal Carotid ◽  
Artery Dissection ◽  
Percutaneous Angioplasty ◽  
Consistent Finding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Domestic violence leading to strangulation by an abusive spouse can cause carotid artery dissection. This phenomenon is rare and has been described in only three previous instances. The authors present their management strategies in three additional cases.Three young women aged 24 to 43 years were victims of manual strangulation committed by their spouses 3 months to 1 year before presentation. Two of the patients suffered delayed cerebral infarctions before presentation and angiography demonstrated focal, mirror-image severe residual stenoses in the high-cervical internal carotid artery (ICA), which were characteristic of a healed chronic dissection; there was no evidence of fibromuscular dysplasia. One of these patients underwent unilateral percutaneous angioplasty with stent placement, and the other underwent bilateral percutaneous angioplasty. Both patients have recovered from their strokes and remain clinically stable at 8 and 20 months posttreatment, respectively. The third patient presented with bilateral ischemic frontal watershed infarctions resulting from an occluded left ICA and a severely narrowed right ICA. Given the extent of the established infarctions, this case was managed with a long-term regimen of anticoagulation medications, and the patient remains neurologically impaired.These cases illustrate the susceptibility of the manually compressed ICA to traumatic injury as a result of domestic violence. They identify bilateral symmetrical ICA dissection as a consistent finding and the real danger of delayed stroke as a consequence of strangulation. Endovascular therapy in which percutaneous angioplasty and/or stent placement are used can be useful in treating residual focal stenoses to improve cerebral perfusion and to lower the risk of embolic or ischemic stroke.

Carotid paraclinoid aneurysms with intradural origin and intracavernous location

1978 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 526-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Nutik
Keyword(s):  
Carotid Artery ◽  
Internal Carotid Artery ◽  
Internal Carotid ◽  
Precise Definition ◽  
Separate Entity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Paraclinoid Aneurysms ◽  
Planning Treatment ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Five cases of a congenital berry aneurysm of the internal carotid artery with origin partially intradural and fundus mainly intracavernous are presented. Angiography does not allow a precise definition of the amount of aneurysm that is intradural, a fact of importance when planning treatment of these cases. However, the angiographic features are characteristic of the type and suggest that these aneurysms be grouped together as a separate entity.

Endovascular occlusion of intracranial vessels for curative treatment of unclippable aneurysms: report of 16 cases

1991 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 694-701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan E. Hodes ◽  
Armand Aymard ◽  
Y. Pierre Gobin ◽  
Daniel Rüfenacht ◽  
Siegfried Bien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Cerebral Artery ◽  
Basilar Artery ◽  
Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery ◽  
Artery Aneurysm ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Parent Vessel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Among 121 intracerebral aneurysms presenting at one institution between 1984 and 1989, 16 were treated by endovascular means. All 16 lesions were intradural and intracranial, and had failed either surgical or endovascular attempts at selective exclusion with parent vessel preservation. The lesions included four giant middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms, one giant anterior communicating artery aneurysm, six giant posterior cerebral artery aneurysms, one posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm, one giant mid-basilar artery aneurysm, two giant fusiform basilar artery aneurysms, and one dissecting vertebral artery aneurysm. One of the 16 patients failed an MCA test occlusion and was approached surgically after attempted endovascular selective occlusion. Treatment involved pretreatment evaluation of cerebral blood flow followed by a preliminary parent vessel test occlusion under neuroleptic analgesia with vigilant neurological monitoring. If the test occlusion was tolerated, it was immediately followed by permanent occlusion of the parent vessel with either detachable or nondetachable balloon or coils. The follow-up period ranged from 1 to 8 years. Excellent outcomes were obtained in 12 cases with complete angiographic obliteration of the aneurysm and no new neurological deficits and/or improvement of the pre-embolization symptoms. Four patients died: two related to the procedure, one secondary to rupture of another untreated aneurysm, and the fourth from a postoperative MCA thrombosis after having failed endovascular test occlusion. The angiographic, clinical, and cerebral blood flow criteria for occlusion tolerance are discussed.

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