Ultrasonographically-guided stent placement at the vertebral artery origin without contrast medium: A case report

Although ultrasonographically-guided carotid interventions without contrast medium have been reported in the literature, we found no report regarding stenting of the vertebral artery origin for treatment of stenosis. Here, we report the case of an iodine-allergic patient in whom a stenosis at the origin of the vertebral artery was successfully treated with ultrasonographically-guided stent placement without contrast medium. B-mode longitudinal images were monitored during the insertion of the embolism-protection device, when positioning the stent, and for the evaluation of the stent opening. This technique can be an alternative option in selected patients, especially those allergic to the contrast medium.