STENT-ASSISTED COIL EMBOLIZATION OF POSTERIOR CIRCULATION ANEURYSMS USING SOLITAIRE AB: PRELIMINARY EXPERIENCE

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patients with wide-necked aneurysms of the posterior circulation who underwent Solitaire AB (ev3, Inc., Irvine, CA) stent-assisted coil embolization. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 10 patients (age range, 32-76 years; mean age, 59.1 years) with aneurysms of the basilar artery (basilar tip, n = 5; basilar trunk, n = 4; posterior cerebral artery, n = 1). Seven of the patients presented with an acute subarachnoid hemorrhage. Five aneurysms were small, 2 were large, and 3 were giant. All patients were treated by different applications (n = 14) of the Solitaire AB neurovascular remodeling device followed by a standard coiling procedure using bioactive coils. RESULTS: Positioning of all Solitaire AB stents was easy and successful. No stent required retrieving and repositioning after full deployment. There were no thromboembolic complications, and no dissection/rupture or vasospasm occurred during stent placement. In all cases except 3, 100% lesion occlusion was observed after the initial treatment. CONCLUSION: The initial technical and clinical results of Solitaire AB stent-assisted coiling of different types of wide-necked aneurysms in the posterior circulation are highly encouraging, and this technique may improve the endovascular treatment of these aneurysms.