Endovascular Treatment of Basilar Artery Stenosis

Abstract

Abstract Objective To analyze epidemiological characteristics and therapeutic evolution of patients with basilar artery (BA) stenosis who underwent endovascular therapy in a reference service. Methods Observational retrospective study of a case report of individuals with BA stenosis who underwent endovascular therapy in an endovascular neurosurgery reference service, between November 2005 and May 2018. Results The prevalence was higher among male patients, with 60% of the cases. As for age, it ranged from 18 to 81 years old, with a mean of 60.2 years old. In terms of comorbidities, systemic arterial hypertension was found in 93% of the patients, and dyslipidemia in 86.7%. The initial symptoms were previous history of ischemic cerebrovascular accident (CVA) in 43.3% of the cases and dizziness in 46.7%. The degree of stenosis ranged from 90 to a 98% of obstruction, with a mean of 92.8%. Neurological deficit was observed in 23.3% of the cases postoperatively, and the postoperative death rate was 10% (3/30). There were no intraoperative adverse events. Conclusion The applicability of endovascular stenting therapy in high-grade BA stenosis proved to be a safe and effective technique with lower morbimortality rates and faster recovery.