• S I Park, B M Kim, D I Kim, Y S Shin, S H Suh, E C Chung, S Y Kim, S H Kim, and Y S Won.
• Department of Radiology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon, Korea.
• AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2009 Aug 1;30(7):1351-6.

Background And PurposeLittle has been known about the clinical and angiographic follow-up results of stent-only therapy for intracranial vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms (VBDA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, safety, clinical, and angiographic follow-up of stent-only therapy for VBDA.Materials And MethodsTwenty-seven patients with 29 VBDAs (11 ruptured, 18 unruptured), not suitable for deconstructive treatment, underwent stent-only therapy. Feasibility, safety, clinical, and angiographic follow-up were retrospectively evaluated. Angiographic outcomes were compared between single-stent and multiple-stent groups.ResultsAll attempted stent placements were successfully accomplished without any treatment-related complication. Of the 11 ruptured VBDAs, 4 were treated by single stents, 6 by double overlapping stents, and 1 by triple overlapping stents. Of the 18 unruptured VBDAs, 6 were treated by stents, and 12 by double overlapping stents. One patient with a ruptured VBDA, treated by single stent, had rebleeding and died. None of the remaining patients had posttreatment bleeding during follow-up (mean, 28 months; range, 7-50 months). Eight patients with ruptured VBDA and all patients with unruptured VBDA had excellent outcomes (modified Rankin Scale, 0-1). The remaining 2 patients with ruptured VBDA were moderately disabled because of the initial damage. Angiographic follow-up was available in 27 VBDAs, 4 to 42 months (mean, 12 months) after treatment. Follow-up angiograms revealed complete obliteration of the dissecting aneurysm in 12, partial obliteration in 12, stable in 1, enlargement in 1, and in-stent occlusion in 1. Angiographic improvement (complete or partial obliteration) was more frequent in the multiple-stent group (17/17) than in the single-stent group (7/9; P < .05).ConclusionsIn this small series, stent-only therapy was safe and effective in the treatment of VBDAs that were not deemed suitable for treatment with parent-artery occlusion.

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