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The PED may be used successfully to treat select aneurysms of the PICA. We present the first described cases of successful PED treatment of PICA aneurysms with direct placement of the PED in the PICA vessel itself. The proposed classification system aids in that selection.

BackgroundMalignant gliomas continue to have a poor clinical outcome with available therapies. In the past few years, new targeted biologic therapies have been studied, with promising results. However, owing to problems with ineffective IV delivery of these newer agents, an alternative, more direct delivery mechanism is needed. Simultaneously, advancements in neuroendovascular technology have allowed endovascular selective intra-arterial approaches to delivery. This method has the potential to increase drug delivery and selectively target tumor vasculature.ObjectiveTo review the history of IA therapy for brain tumors, prior failures and successes, the emergence of new technologies and therapies, and the future direction of this young field.MethodsA comprehensive literature search of two databases (PubMed, Ovid Medline) was performed for several terms including ‘brain tumor’, ‘glioma’, and ‘endovascular intra-arterial’. Forty-five relevant articles were identified via a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines. Additional relevant articles were selected for further in-depth review. Emphasis was given to articles discussing selective intra-arterial intracranial delivery using microcatheters.ResultsEndovascular intra-arterial therapy with chemotherapy has had mixed results, with currently active trials using temozolomide, cetuximab, and bevacizumab. Prior attempts at IA chemotherapy with older-generation medications did not surpass the efficacy of IV administration. Advances in neuro-oncology have brought to the forefront new targeted biologic therapies.ConclusionsIn this review, we discuss the emerging field of endovascular neuro-oncology, a field that applies modern neuroendovascular techniques to the delivery of new therapeutic agents to brain tumors. The development of targeted therapies for brain tumors has been concurrent with the development of microcatheter technology, which has made superselective distal intracranial arterial access feasible and safe.

OBJECTIVE Stroke is a major cause of disability and death in adults. Several large randomized clinical trials have shown the significant benefit of mechanical thrombectomy with modern stent retrievers in the treatment of large-vessel occlusions. However, large clots located at bifurcations remain challenging to treat. An in vivo model of these recalcitrant clots needs to be developed to test future generations of devices. METHODS Autologous blood was drawn from anesthetized swine via a femoral sheath. Blood was then mixed with thrombin, calcium chloride, and saline, and injected into silicone tubing to form cylindrical clots in the standard fashion. Matured clots were then delivered in an unfragmented fashion directly into the distal extracranial vasculature, at branch points where vessel sizes mimic the human middle cerebral artery, by using Penumbra aspiration tubing and the Penumbra ACE68 reperfusion catheter. RESULTS A total of 5 adult swine were used to develop the model. The techniques evolved during experiments in the first 3 animals, and the last 2 were used to establish the final model. In these 2 swine, a total of 8 autologous clots, 15–20 mm, were injected directly into 8 distal extracranial vessels at branch points to mimic a bifurcation occlusion in a human. All clots were delivered directly at a distal bifurcation or trifurcation in an unfragmented fashion to cause an occlusion. Ten revascularization attempts were made, and none of the branch-point occlusions were fully revascularized on the first attempt. CONCLUSIONS Using novel large-bore distal access catheters, large unfragmented clots can be delivered into distal extracranial vessels in a swine occlusion model. The model mimics the clinical situation of a recalcitrant bifurcation occlusion and will be valuable in the study of next-generation stroke devices and in training settings.