Endovascular treatment using stents for vertebral artery fusiform aneurysms.

BACKGROUND

To report our experience with 12 ruptured and 12 unruptured vertebral artery (VA) fusiform aneurysms treated endovascularly using stents.

METHODS

Three patients were female and 20 patients were male; their mean age was 43·7 (17-77) years. Altogether, 25 stents were placed in 23 patients for 24 fusiform VA aneurysms.

RESULTS

All patients were successfully treated using stents; in 19 patients, we also coil-embolized the aneurysmal lumen. One aneurysm was treated by the placement of two stents covering the dissection site. No technical complications were encountered. According to the Glasgow outcome scale, at follow-up after treatment, 22 patients (95·7%) made a good recovery and one (4·3%) died due to rebleeding during the procedure.

CONCLUSION

Endovascular therapy using stents may be a useful treatment in patients with fusiform VA aneurysms involving the posterior inferior cerebellar artery or hypoplasia of the contralateral VA or unruptured VA aneurysms.