Anand Alurkar

Role of Balloon-Expandable Stents in Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease in a Series of 182 Patients

Background and Purpose— To demonstrate the safety and efficacy of balloon-expandable intracranial stents in patients with intracranial atherosclerotic lesions (>70% stenosis) who were symptomatic despite being on optimum medical therapy. Methods— Between April 2004 and May 2012, 182 patients underwent intracranial stenting in our institution. All patients had symptoms despite being on optimum medical therapy. Clinical follow-up was done at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Angiographic follow-up was done at 1 year in 121 patients. Results— Technical success was achieved in 97.44% of the cases. The incidence of all strokes at 1 month after procedure was 11 (5.64%), of which 2 (1.02%) were major, both related to stent thrombosis not responding to tirofiban, and 9 (4.61%) were minor. Periprocedural minor stroke was seen in 9 patients. There were 2 deaths in our study (mortality=1.09%). Conclusions— Treatment of intracranial atherosclerotic disease with balloon-expandable intracranial stents is a safe and effective method with acceptable adverse events, especially in patients who failed medical therapy and were symptomatic despite being on optimum medical therapy.

Ipsilateral stroke with uncrossed pyramidal tracts and underlying right internal carotid artery stenosis treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting. A rare case report and review of the literature.

We present a unique case of ipsilateral stroke in a 55-year-old right-handed hypertensive man with proven uncrossed pyramidal tract demonstrated by tractography. Diffusion-weighted imaging disclosed small acute ischemic infarcts in the right corona radiata with MR angiography showing narrowing of the right internal carotid artery. Significant carotid stenosis of right internal carotid artery (ICA) was detected on digital subtraction angiography as the underlying cause and subsequently treated with percutananeous transluminal angioplasty and stenting with good outcome. The presence of uncrossed pyramidal tract was confirmed by diffusion tensor imaging tractography. To our knowledge there are few reports of ipsilateral stroke with proven uncrossed pyramidal tracts described in the literature. This is the first documented report of ipsilateral stroke with uncrossed fibre tracts due to underlying critical stenosis of the ICA treated successfully with a good recovery.

Simultaneous Bilateral Carotid Stenting in a Series of 9 Patients: A Single-Center Experience with Review of Literature

Objectives: Simultaneous bilateral carotid artery stenting (SBCAS) is a challenging procedure, and selection criteria play an important role in determining the final outcome. The aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy and safety of the SBCAS in a series of 9 patients with significant bilateral carotid artery disease (>50% on the symptomatic side and >60% on the asymptomatic side). Materials and Methods: The present study is a retrospective study of 9 patients from January 2005 to December 2012 in a tertiary care center. There were 8 males and 1 female in the age range 50 to 75 years and an average mean age of 63 years. Inclusion criteria of the present study were patients with bilateral internal carotid artery stenosis >50% (50 - 99%) in the symptomatic side and >60% in the asymptomatic side as seen on digital subtraction angiography (DSA). SBCAS with use of distal protection device (Spider device, ev3), to prevent intra-procedural embolic migration, was done in all the patients. Results: Technical success was achieved in all patients (100%). Post-procedural events in the form of hypotension and bradycardia occurred in 3 patients after the placement of stent on both the sides, in 2 patients after the placement of the first stent, and in 1 patient after the placement of the second stent. We did not encounter any cases of hyperperfusion, which was a concern in these patients. There were no deaths, major or minor strokes, or myocardial infarction either in the post-procedural period (up to 1 month) or on clinical follow-up 3 and 6 months post-treatment. Conclusion: SBCAS was an effective and safe alternative treatment method in a select group of patients with bilateral carotid artery disease. It can be considered as a feasible treatment option with acceptable risks.

Intracranial Pial Arteriovenous Fistulae: Diagnosis and Treatment Techniques in Pediatric Patients with Review of Literature.

Pial arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) are rare vascular lesions comprising single or multiple arterial feeders draining directly into the venous channel without intervening tangle of blood vessels as in brain AV malformations. In our present paper, we describe three cases of pial AVF in the pediatric age group with different presentations treated successfully with endovascular and surgical methods. Two patients underwent treatment for pial AVF by the endovascular technique and one by surgical clipping. The treatments were successful with good clinical outcome. We did not encounter any peri-procedural complications in any of the cases. Pial AVF is a rare entity and high degree of suspicion and adequate clinical and imaging knowledge is required to make the diagnosis. Exclusion of the fistula from the cerebral circulation should be done at the earliest to prevent devastating complications that result during the natural course of the disease.

Stent-assisted coiling in ruptured wide-necked aneurysms: A single-center analysis

Background: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of stent-assisted coiling of ruptured intracranial wide-necked aneurysms in a setting of acute subarachnoid hemorrhage, without compromising on the antiplatelet regimen. Methods: Forty-two consecutive patients who underwent stent-assisted coiling for ruptured wide-necked intracranial aneurysms from August 2008 to May 2012 were studied. Demographic data like age, sex, Hunt & Hess grade, Fischer scale, and location, and size of the aneurysms were noted. Complications such as aneurysmal rupture, bleeding complications, thromboembolic events, etc. were documented. Also, 30-day and 1-year outcome was measured using modified Rankin scale (mRS). Results: Forty-four wide-necked aneurysms were treated in 42 patients with stent-assisted coiling from August 2008 to May 2012 in our institution, out of a total of 248 aneurysms treated endovascularly in the same period. All these patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) with varying grades and were treated in the acute phase, i.e. within 1 week of the ictus. There were 24 males and 18 females in the age group ranging from 12 to 78 years, with a mean of 45 years. Technical success was achieved in 39 patients with complete angiographic cure (93%). Intraprocedural stent thrombosis was seen in two patients, which resolved with intra-arterial bolus of tirofiban, and both the patients did not have any neurological deficit. Rebleed occurred in two patients of which one patient succumbed. Six patients required external ventricular drain because of worsening hydrocephalus on computed tomography (CT) scan with clinical deterioration. There was one death in our series due to rebleed. Three other patients died in a period of 1 month due to complications not related to the coiling procedure which include vasospasm, pulmonary embolism, and respiratory infection. All the patients were clinically followed up at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. Also, angiographic follow- up was done at 1 year in 25 patients (72%). All the patients were maintained on clopidogrel 75 mg per day and ecospirin 150 mg per day for a period of 1 year and were advised to continue ecospirin 150 mg per day lifelong. Conclusion: Even in a setting of acute SAH, stent-assisted coiling can be an effective and safe treatment option with acceptable risks in experienced hands.

Endovascular treatment of ruptured saccular aneurysm from basilar artery fenestration

1. Inamasu J, Saito R, Nakamura Y, Ichikizaki K, Suga S, Kawase T, et al. Acute subdural hematoma caused by ruptured cerebral aneurysms: Diagnostic and therapeutic pitfalls. Resuscitation 2002;52:71-6. 2. Hashizume K, Nukui H, Horikoshi T, Kaneko M, Fukamachi A. Giant aneurysm of the azygos anterior cerebral artery associated with acute subdural hematoma: Case report. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 1992;32:693-7. 3. Triantafyllopoulou A, Beaumont A, Ulatowski J, Tamargo RJ, Varelas PN. Acute subdural hematoma caused by an unruptured, thrombosed giant intracavernous aneurysm. Neurocrit Care 2006;5:39-42. 4. Hatayama T, Shima T, Okada Y, Nishida M, Yamane K, Okita S, et al. Ruptured distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysms presenting with acute subdural hematoma: Report of two cases. No Shinkei Geka 1994;22:577-82. 5. Ishibashi A, Yokokura Y, Sakamoto M. Acute subdural hematoma without subarachnoid hemorrhage due to ruptured intracranial aneurysm: Case report. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 1997;37:533-7. 6. Freytag E. Fatal rupture of intracranial aneurysms. Survey of 250 medicolegal cases. Arch Pathol 1966;81:418-24. 7. Barton E, Tudor J. Subdural haematoma in association with intracranial aneurysm. Neuroradiology 1982;23:157-60. 8. Ono M, Ono M, Rhoton AL Jr, Barry M. Microsurgical anatomy of the region of the tentorial incisura. J Neurosurg 1984;60:365-99.

Idiopathic Thrombus in the Common Carotid Artery on Digital Subtraction Angiography

In the present study, we discuss the accuracy of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in diagnosis of thrombus in the common carotid artery and its role in the medical management of this disorder. Between 2006 and 2011, four patients (age group ranging from 26 to 48 years) presented to our institution with symptoms of stroke. DSA in all these patients showed cigar-shaped filling defect in the common carotid artery. All the patients were managed successfully with anticoagulation treatment. Follow-up Duplex scan was done in all the patients. DSA is the gold standard to diagnose free floating thrombus in the common carotid artery. Medical management can be effective in these patients but a multidisciplinary team approach is needed for appropriate management.

Endovascular treatment of fusiform A2 aneurysm with parent artery occlusion.

Background: A2 aneurysms are rare with a reported incidence of <1% of the intracranial aneurysms. These aneurysms are located between the anterior communicating artery and genu of the corpus callosum. Fusiform aneurysms in this location are even rarer and we present one such case of fusiform A2 aneurysm treated with endovascular technique. Case Description: In this report, we present a case of ruptured fusiform A2 or proximal pericallosal artery aneurysm in a middle-aged female who presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. She subsequently underwent endovascular parent artery occlusion, and post-procedure angiogram showed good pial collaterals filling the distal territory. She developed transient lower limb weakness which improved over the next 24 h with supportive inotrope management to maintain adequate cerebral flow. Conclusion: We report a rare unique case of ruptured fusiform proximal pericallosal artery aneurysm. Endovascular treatment of this type of aneurysm is a feasible method and can be considered as an effective alternative to surgical technique.

Endovascular coil occlusion of traumatic intradural aneurysm with presentation as carotid cavernous fistula.

Carotid cavernous fistulae (CCF) are abnormal communication between cavernous segment of the internal carotid artery and cavernous sinus. These entities are usually encountered in 0.2-0.8% of patients with traumatic skull base fractures. Traumatic cerebral aneurysms are rare and account for less than 1% of intracranial aneurysms. CCF due to ruptured intradural traumatic aneurysm is very rare and difficult to treat by surgical methods. We present one such case of a 40-year-old man with post-traumatic CCF due to a ruptured intradural aneurysm successfully treated with endovascular embolization.

Endovascular Management of Fusiform Superior Cerebellar Artery Aneurysms: A Series of Three Cases with Review of Literature

Distal superior cerebellar artery (SCA) aneurysms are rare. Fusiform aneurysms of SCA are rarer and more challenging to treat. Parent artery occlusion by endovascular coiling is the treatment option for these cases. Presence of good collateral circulation and paucity of perforators from S1 and S2 segments makes this a feasible option. From 2007 to 2010, we treated three patients (two men and one woman between the ages of 42 to 64 years) with distal fusiform SCA aneurysms using endovascular coiling. All the patients presented with symptoms of rupture and were treated in the acute phase. Informed and written high-risk consent was given by all patients prior to the procedure. Successful angiographic and clinical outcome was achieved in all three patients. Endovascular treatment of fusiform SCA aneurysms with coils is a safe and feasible option in the management of this rare entity.