[Use of a filtering protective device during angioplasty and stenting of the brachiocephalic trunk]

The authors carried out a pilot study aimed at assessing the possibility and efficacy of using filtering systems for protection of cerebral arteries from distal embolism during angioplasty and stenting of the brachiocephalic trunk. A total of five patients presenting with lesions of the brachiocephalic trunk underwent 5 roentgenoendovascular interventions with the use of the filtering protective device Spider FX. Angiographic and clinical success was achieved in 100% of cases. Particles of debris were obtained from the protective device in all cases. All the five patients were found to have symptoms of vertebrobasilar insufficiency. During follow-up in the medium-term period at check examinations the implanted stents were patent, with neither major nor minor neurological complications observed. The patients turned out to be free from cerebrovascular insufficiency relapses. Presented herein are clinical case reports describing technical peculiarities of using the protective device in different variants of the anatomy and vascular lesion.