Treatment of a fusiform vertebral aneurysm with double stent placement. A technical case report and review of the literature

Neuroradiol J. 2010 Dec;23(6):737-42. doi: 10.1177/197140091002300616. Epub 2010 Dec 23.

Abstract

A 34-year-old man admitted to another hospital presented with sudden onset of headache. The CT scan was unremarkable, but magnetic resonance angiography revealed a fusiform aneurysm in the left vertebral artery. Six days later, the patient was sent to our institution for further diagnosis and treatment. Cerebral angiography confirmed a fusiform aneurysm located in the right vertebral artery. At first, we placed a neuroform-3 stent and could see contrast medium stasis in the aneurysm, so we did not fill coils into the aneurysm. Four months later, the patient was admitted for rechecking. DSA showed the aneurysm remained and we placed a LEO stent in the lumen of the Neuroform stent. A control DSA eight months later showed the aneurysm had almost healed. Overlapping stents may induce spontaneous thrombosis of vertebral artery aneurysms and facilitate parent artery reconstruction through flow remodeling and stent endothelialization. This technique may be an option in treating dissecting or fusiform intracranial aneurysms that are not amenable to open surgical treatment or endovascular coil embolization.