Background and Purpose-Intracranial stenting is associated with a 32% rate of restenosis. Drug-eluting stents (DES) have revolutionized the treatment of coronary artery disease and have greatly reduced the risk of in-stent stenosis. We present our experience with the feasibility and safety of using DES for patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis. Methods-All of the patients had Ͼ70% stenoses and had failed maximal medical therapy. They were pretreated with aspirin, clopidogrel, and intraprocedural heparin. All of the lesions were predilated, and balloons and stents were slightly undersized. Clopidogrel and aspirin were continued for 1 year, and patients had clinical follow-up and vascular imaging at 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year. Results-Eight patients with intracranial internal carotid artery (3), middle cerebral (2), basilar (2), and vertebral artery (1) stenoses were successfully treated with 4 Cypher (Cordis Corp) and 4 Taxus (Boston Scientific Inc) stents. The mean stenosis severity was reduced from 84.4%Ϯ10.2% to 2.5%Ϯ4.6%. One patient had an intraprocedural retinal embolism, but there were no other complications. Over a mean follow-up of 11.1Ϯ4.9 months (range, 2 to 17.3 months), patients have had repeat angiography (5)
Late angiographic follow-up monitoring of aneurysms that have been treated with GDCs demonstrates the durability of the treatment. Aneurysms with large residual neck remnants were subjected to further treatment, whereas aneurysms with small residual neck remnants remain under observation.
The lack of information regarding both the frequency of residual filling or regrowth and long-term angiographic follow-up of patients with surgically treated aneurysms makes meaningful comparison between surgical treatments and new treatment methods for intracranial aneurysms difficult or impossible. Detailed analysis with high-quality angiography should be performed to determine the success of surgical treatment.
A case of traumatic, direct, carotid cavernous fistula (CCF) associated with Ehlers — Danlos syndrome (EDS) Type IV is reported along with a review of the literature. Excluding the present case, three similar cases associated with EDS-TypeIV have already been reported by Gerard M. Debrun et Al1. Despite the risks associated with endovascular manipulation, the fistula was successfully closed by intravascular embolisation but the patient expired a few days later because of underlying disease-associated vascular and visceral complications.
The low morbidity and mortality rates and the good morphological outcome obtained in most cases make coiling a reasonable alternative to surgical clipping in properly selected cases.
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