angioplasty and stenting of basilar artery with short-term results

abstract symptomatic basilar artery stenosis has a poor prognosis. surgical bypasses are technically demanding and of no proven benefit. a new generation of intravascular stents that are flexible enough to navigate the tortuosities of the vertebral artery may provide a new therapeutic approach. our two cases, 57 and 52 year-old men experienced a vertebrobasilar ischemia with repeated vertigo and falls. magnetic resonance angiography from vertebrobasilar arteries revealed severe middle basilar artery stenos is in one case, and severe vertebrobasilar artery stenosis in the other. the patients underwent uncomplicated angioplasty and stenting of the basilar arteries, with excellent angiographic results. the new flexible intravascular stents provide a new therapeutic approach for patients with basilar artery stenosis. key words: basilar artery - vertebral artery – angioplasty – stenting