Vertebral artery origin angioplasty and primary stenting: safety and XXXX rates in a prospective series.

@entity1 @entity731 @entity850 @entity256
OBJECTIVES: To report a single centre ongoing experience of endovascular treatment for @entity731 vertebral artery origin @entity850 in a series of symptomatic @entity1 , with follow up imaging to determine the incidence of @entity256 . METHODS: 14 @entity1 with vertebral artery origin @entity850 on catheter angiography were treated. Angioplasty without stenting was undertaken in the first four @entity1 , all of whom had follow up catheter angiography at one year. Subsequently, @entity1 were treated by primary stenting and followed up with colour Doppler ultrasound examination. RESULTS: The procedure was technically successful in all treated arteries, with no immediate complications. The degree of @entity850 was reduced from (mean (SD)) 73 (18)% before treatment to 21 (26)% immediately after treatment in the angioplasty alone group (p = 0.059). In the primary stenting @entity1 , the severity of @entity850 was reduced from 82 (8)% to 13 (13)% immediately after treatment (p < 0.001). @entity256 to 70% or greater occurred at one year in all four @entity1 initially treated by angioplasty without stenting. One @entity1 subsequently developed further symptoms and was retreated by stenting. One of the 10 @entity1 treated by primary stenting developed @entity256 . None of the remaining @entity1 had further posterior circulation ischaemic symptoms during a mean follow up period of 33.6 months (range 1 to 72 months). CONCLUSIONS: @entity256 occurs often after vertebral artery origin balloon angioplasty without stenting but is uncommon after stenting. Primary stenting is therefore recommended to maintain patency at this site, and had a low complication rate in this series.
