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Posterior Circulation Stroke pp 191–197Cite as

Angioplasty and Stenting for Posterior Circulation Stroke

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Abstract

Approximately 20–40% of all ischaemic strokes occur in the posterior circulation, and about a quarter of these are caused by either vertebral or basilar artery stenosis. Despite its frequency, the optimal management for vertebrobasilar stenosis is not clear. This is in marked contrast to carotid stenosis for which large randomised controlled trials have provided robust evidence showing that removal of the stenosis by carotid endarterectomy improves outcome. A number of recent trials have examined the efficacy of stenting for symptomatic vertebral stenosis. These have reported a high peri-operative risk for intracranial stenosis but a low peri-operative risk for extracranial stenosis. Based on current evidence, there seemed to be no benefit of stenting over best medical therapy for intracranial vertebral stenosis. For extracranial stenosis, there was a non-significant trend towards benefit for stenting, but data from larger trials are required to determine whether or not stenting is the treatment of choice for extracranial stenosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stroke Research Group, Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Hugh S. Markus

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  1. Hugh S. Markus
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Correspondence to Hugh S. Markus .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan, Seoul, Korea (Republic of)

    Jong S. Kim

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Markus, H.S. (2021). Angioplasty and Stenting for Posterior Circulation Stroke. In: Kim, J.S. (eds) Posterior Circulation Stroke. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6739-1_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6739-1_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-15-6738-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-15-6739-1

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