Percutaneous Treatment of Severe Intracranial Carotid and Middle Cerebral Artery Stenosis.

Due to the lack of efficacy and durability data from prospective, randomized, multicenter trials, intracranial stenting remains investigational and should be used only in carefully selected patients after thorough evaluation of their clinical and anatomic factors. Stenting should not be performed in chronic total occlusions and asymptomatic lesions and generally should be avoided in very old patients, especially those with underlying dementia and severe calcification of their vessels. Symptomatic patients with angiographically documented greater than 70% stenosis and who have failed medical therapy are appropriate candidates for intracranial angioplasty and stenting and should be enrolled in clinical trials when possible.