Application of the Willis Covered Stent in the Treatment of Complex Vascular Diseases of the Internal Carotid Artery and Vertebral Artery: A Retrospective Single-Center Experience.

OBJECTIVE

To retrospectively evaluate the efficacy and security of Willis covered stent (WCS) deployment for complex vascular diseases of the internal carotid (ICA) and vertebral (VA) arteries.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis was performed on complex vascular disease patients (n=36) treated with WCSs at our center between March 2017 and December 2022, with a 3-36-months follow-up surveillance and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) examination.

RESULTS

The WCSs were successfully deployed in all the patients. The 36 included lesions were carotid-cavernous sinus fistulas (CCFs; n=10) (27.8%), complex saccular aneurysms (n=10) (27.8%), traumatic pseudoaneurysms (n=7) (19.4%), blood blister-like aneurysms (BBAs; n=5) (13.9%), and iatrogenic carotid or vertebral artery ruptures (n=4) (11.1%). The WCS was released at the communicating segment (n=2) (5.6%), the ophthalmic segment (n=3) (8.3%), the clinoid and cavernous segment (n=28) (77.8%), the petrous segment (n=2) (5.6%) of ICA and the V3 segment (n=1) (2.8%) of VA. Postoperative DSA showed complete lesion occlusion in 26 patients (72.2%) who were immediately treated with WCSs, and endoleaks occurred in 3 patients (8.3%) (endoleaks resolved postadjustment in 7 patients (19.4%)). In patients (n=3) (8.3%) treated with double stents at the break of the ICA, the endoleak remained in 1 CCF patient (2.8%) during the 3-month follow-up, and the residual shunt disappeared after the second stent system was placed 3 months later. No aneurysm, bleeding or infarct recurrence reported, and only 1 patient (2.8%) had mild asymptomatic in-stent stenosis. Deaths and procedural complications did not occur during follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Treatment with a WCS for intracranial complex vascular diseases resulted in satisfactory clinical outcomes and appeared effective and safe. Controlled, multicenter, large sample sizes and longer follow-up periods studies are necessary.