Safety and Feasibility of Drug-eluting Stent Implantation at Vertebral Artery Origin: The First Case Series in Asians

Background/PurposeStudies of the safety and efficacy of drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation to treat vertebral artery (VA) ostial stenosis are lacking in the Asian population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of DES implantation to treat VA ostial stenosis in Asians.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the medical and radiologic records of patients receiving VA origin stenting with DES from October 2004 to September 2006 in the National Taiwan University Hospital.ResultsEleven symptomatic patients (9 male; mean age, 72 years) with 11 lesions treated with DES were included. There were eight lesions treated with paclitaxel-eluting stents and three lesions treated with sirolimus-eluting stents. The success rate for implantation of a DES was 100%. The percentage of stenosis was significantly reduced after stenting (86 ± 5 to 2 ± 4%; p < 0.001). No peri-interventional neurologic, vascular, or other medical complications were noted. All patients were asymptomatic at the mean follow-up time of 18.7 ± 8.6 months (range, 6-30 months). Two patients received repeat angiography at 4 or 8 months after stenting. No significant in-stent restenosis was found.ConclusionSymptomatic VA origin stenosis can be treated safely and effectively with DES in Asians.