Endovascular reconstructive treatment using a fill-and-tunnel technique for a fusiform vertebral artery dissecting...

Fusiform dissecting aneurysms involving the dominant vertebral artery with poor collaterals are challenging to treat. The purpose of this study was to present an initial experience with a fill and tunnel technique for reconstructive endovascular treatment of these conditions.

A total of 13 patients, 11 men and 2 women, each with a fusiform vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm not amenable to internal trapping of the parent artery, underwent reconstructive endovascular treatment using a fill and tunnel technique between January 2012 and December 2015. The safety, feasibility, and clinical and angiographic outcomes of these procedures were retrospectively evaluated.

The average maximum diameter of the fusiform aneurysms was 12.1 mm. Five were ruptured. Three aneurysms were treated with a single stent and the remaining 10 aneurysms required double-stent placement. Treatment was technically successful in all 13 patients, achieving complete occlusion (n = 10, 76.9%) and near-complete occlusion (n = 3, 23.1%). No procedure-related complications occurred in any patient. There were no delayed thromboembolic or hemorrhagic complications during the follow-up period (mean, 19.0 months). Angiographic follow-ups (mean, 9.1 months) showed stable occlusion in 90.9% (10/11) and asymptomatic in-stent occlusion in one patient (9.1%, 1/11). At the end of the observation period (mean, 19.0 months), all patients had excellent clinical outcomes (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0, 92.3%, 12/13), except one (mRS 4), resulting from poor preoperative status.

This retrospective study demonstrated that endovascular reconstruction using a fill-and-tunnel technique was a technically safe, feasible, and clinically effective treatment method for fusiform vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms with ipsilateral dominance.