An Experimental Clamping and Cutting Study of Carotid and Intracranial Stents: Preparation for Surgical Rescue in...

To carry out surgery safely in vessels with stents, it is essential to have knowledge of what would happen if the stents were clamped or cut. Using all stents that are permitted in Japan, we recorded with a surgical microscope the behavior of stents when they were clamped or cut and discussed the morphologic changes along with image findings.

We classified carotid artery and intracranial stents as group 1A and 1B or group 2A and 2B according to the structure of stent eye: laser cut or blade. Each stent was clamped using a Yasargil aneurysm clip, bulldog forceps, and vascular forceps. Degree of closure and presence or absence of stent deformation after declamping were recorded using a surgical microscope. Furthermore, we performed morphologic evaluations using high-resolution cone-beam computed tomography. Lastly, each stent was cut; the behavior of the cut stent was recorded, and differences between stents were examined.

Complete clamping was confirmed both visually and based on image evaluations with bulldog forceps and vascular forceps in the groups of carotid artery stents, with the Yasargil aneurysm clip in the intracranial stents. In the blade-type stents, we found that the stents elongated during clamping, and the component wire scattered at the time of stent cutting. Furthermore, the stents could be easily separated by holding with forceps.

Knowing the properties of each stent is essential to conduct safe surgery in response to complications. Special care must be taken when clamping and cutting blade-type stents.