Background: Intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is a potential cause of ischemic stroke. Treatment of ICAD can include intracranial stenting. There are specifically designed stents for this use-case; however, less is known about the off-label use of the Neuroform Atlas stent. In this study, we describe the outcomes of the Neuroform Atlas stent for treatment of ICAD.
Methods: Adult patients with symptomatic ICAD failing best medical treatment undergoing elective intracranial stenting using the Neuroform Atlas stent between November 2018 and March 2021 were included. Patient demographics, procedure-related details and clinical and imaging outcomes were analyzed.
Results: Eighteen patients met the inclusion criteria, with a mean follow-up duration of 9.6 ± 6.8 (standard deviation) months. There were two procedure-related mortalities (one massive intracranial hemorrhage and one groin site complication with sepsis). Fifteen patients were alive at the 6-month follow-up, all with satisfactory stent patency on follow-up imaging without any new ischemic events. Modified Rankin Scale at latest follow-up was 1.9 (interquartile range 5).
Conclusion: In this single-center consecutive series, intracranial stenting with the Neuroform Atlas stent was a safe and effective treatment for symptomatic ICAD patients failing best medical management.
Keywords: Neuroform atlas stent; angioplasty; intracranial atherosclerosis; intracranial stent.