Complications and long-term in-stent restenosis of endovascular treatment of severe symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis and relevant risk factors

To investigate the complications and in-stent restenosis of endovascular treatment of severe symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis and relevant risk factors. Three hundred and fifty-four consecutive patients with intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (70%–99%) were retrospectively enrolled. The clinical data, treatment outcomes, complications and in-stent restenosis at follow-up were analyzed. The endovascular treatment was composed of balloon dilatation only in 21 (5.93%) patients, and deployment of self-expandable stents in 232 (65.54%), balloon-expandable stents in 75 (21.19%), and both balloon- and self-expandable stents in 26 (7.34%), with a total of 359 stents being successfully deployed at the stenotic location. After treatment, the residual stenosis ranged 9.2%±1.5% (range 7%–19%), which was significantly (P < .05) smaller than that before treatment. Periprocedural complications occurred in 43 patients with a complication rate of 12.15% including arterial dissection in 4 (1.13%) patients, new cerebral infarction in 21 (5.93%), cerebral hemorrhage in 12 (3.3%), and subarachnoid hemorrhage in 6 (1.69%). Hyperlipidemia [odds ratio (OR) 10.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.42–24.28, and P < .0001] and location at the middle cerebral artery (MCA) (OR 4.15, 95% CI 1.92–8.97, and P < .001) were significant (P < .05) risk factors for periprocedural complications, whereas hyperlipidemia (OR 11.28, 95% CI 4.65–30.60, and P < .0001), location at the MCA (or 5.26, 95% CI 2.03–15.08, and P < .001), and angulation (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00–1.04, and P = .02) were significant (P < .05) independent risk factors for periprocedural complications. Follow-up was performed in 287 (81.07%) patients at 6 to 36 (28 ± 6.7) months. In-stent restenosis was present in 36 (12.54%), and female sex (OR 2.53, and 95% CI 1.27–5.06) and periprocedural complications (OR 9.18, and 95% CI 3.52–23.96) were significant (P < .05) risk factors for in-stent restenosis, with periprocedural complication (OR 9.61, and 95% CI 3.48–27.23) as the only significant (P < .0001) independent risk factor for in-stent restenosis. A certain rate of periprocedural complications and in-stent stenosis may occur in endovascular treatment of severe intracranial stenosis, and the relevant risk factors may include hyperlipidemia, MCA location, angulation at the stenosis and female sex.