PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - C.-W. Tang AU - F.-C. Chang AU - C.-M. Chern AU - Y.-C. Lee AU - H.-H. Hu AU - I.-H. Lee TI - Stenting versus Medical Treatment for Severe Symptomatic Intracranial Stenosis AID - 10.3174/ajnr.A2409 DP - 2011 May 01 TA - American Journal of Neuroradiology PG - 911--916 VI - 32 IP - 5 4099 - http://www.ajnr.org/content/32/5/911.short 4100 - http://www.ajnr.org/content/32/5/911.full SO - Am. J. Neuroradiol.2011 May 01; 32 AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Intracranial atherosclerosis is especially prevalent in Asians, but intracranial stent placement and medical treatment for severe intracranial stenosis are controversial. Thus, we compared long-term outcomes of these 2 therapeutic approaches in an Asian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with angiographically proved severe (≥70%) symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis, with or without stent placement, were retrospectively reviewed at a single center between 2002 and 2009, with adjustments for age, sex, vascular risk factors, degree of baseline stenosis, and baseline functional status. RESULTS: Of the 114 patients followed from 3 to 36 months (mean, 17.3 months) after initial diagnosis, 53 received 56 stents in addition to medical treatment (stent-placement group), and 61 matched patients received only medical treatment (medical group). Total clinical events, including stroke, TIA, and vascular death, were 12 (22.6%) and 15 (24.6%) in the stent-placement and medical groups, respectively (P = .99). The stent-placement group had significantly better functional outcomes than the medical group (94.3% versus 78.7% for mRS scores of 0–3, P = .045). Most events in the stent-placement group occurred within the first week of the periprocedural period (17.0%) as minor embolic or perforator infarctions, and the rate of events decreased thereafter (5.7%, P = .07). Stent placement over the perforator-rich MCA and BA independently predicted periprocedural events on multivariate regression analysis. In the medical group, events increased in frequency (21.7%) and severity with time. CONCLUSIONS: Although the total ischemic event rate was similar in the 2 groups during a 3-year follow-up, the stent-placement group had a more favorable functional outcome despite minor periprocedural strokes. ACAanterior cerebral arteryADCapparent diffusion coefficientBballoon-mounted stentBAbasilar arteryBPblood pressureCScarotid siphonCVAcerebrovascular accidentDSAdigital subtraction angiographyDWIdiffusion-weighted imagingHbA1cglycated hemoglobinICAinternal carotid arteryICHintracerebral hemorrhageMCAmiddle cerebral arterymRSmodified Rankin ScaleNIHNational Institutes of HealthNSnot significantSAHsubarachnoid hemorrhageTIAtransient ischemic attackVAvertebral arteryVBJvertebrobasilar junctionWASIDWarfarin-Aspirin Symptomatic Intracranial Disease