Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Gateway-Wingspan stent system was certified by the U.S. FDA in 2005 as a nickel-titanium alloy self- expanding stent for the treatment of symptomatic artery stenosis, which was approved to be applied formally in China in 2007.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and short-term effect of endovascular implantation of nickel-titanium alloy self-expanding Wingspan stent for symptomatic artery stenosis.
METHODS: Totally 13 patients with 18 lesions diagnosed as symptomatic artery stenosis were treated with endovascular Wingspan stent based on the Gateway saccule self-expansion. The vascular stenotic lesions involved middle cerebral artery in 11 cases, internal carotid artery in 4 cases, vertebral artery in 2 cases, and basilar artery in 1 case. The length of vascular stenotic lesions was 5-15 mm with a mean incidence of (85.3±10.0)%.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: All of the 18 stents in the 13 patients were placed successfully in one implantation, accounting for 100%. The stenosis residue was (30.5±12.0)% immediately after implantation; after 12 months follow-up, there was no stroke attack or transient cerebral infarction. The vascular angiography showed no stenosis. After stent implantation, there was no arterial dissection, tear of arterial intima, and acute thrombosis in 13 cases. The stents showed no displacement or rupture. One case appeared to have hypotension and one case had ecchymoma within 3 days after stent implantation, and the symptoms disappeared after treatment. The experimental findings demonstrate that endovascular implantation of nickel-titanium alloy self-expanding Wingspan stent is a safe and effective treatment for intracranial symptomatic artery stenosis, with good short-term efficacy.