Catheter exchange technique for the Wingspan stent: technical note

The only Food and Drug Administration-approved implant for managing intracranial stenosis is the Wingspan stent. Modification of the standard Wingspan stent delivery procedure has not been previously reported.

Retrospective, single-patient, technical report.

Following uneventful balloon angioplasty, a symptomatic intracranial vertebral artery stenosis was inaccessible to Wingspan stent delivery using standard procedural protocol because of poor proximal guide catheter purchase. After placing a Renegade Hi-Flo microcatheter across the stenosis, the Wingspan stent was transferred to this catheter and advanced to the lesion using a Neuroform stabilizer. Unsheathing of the stent yielded uncomplicated, precise placement of the stent with a good clinical result.

The Wingspan stent transfer technique can be used successfully in the management of intracranial stenotic disease.