Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Angiography Fails to Screen In-Stent Restenosis but Predicts Good Long-Term Outcome

Wingspan stent in the setting of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) has shown to be associated with in-stent restenosis (ISR). Conventional angiography is typically used to detect ISR, but quantitative magnetic resonance angiography (QMRA), a non-invasive measure of blood hemodynamics, has also been used to screen for ISR. This report highlights a case where QMRA failed to screen for ISR in a patient who received a Wingspan stent for symptomatic intracranial vertebral artery stenosis but predicted good long-term outcome. The patient remained asymptomatic and had robust vertebrobasilar flow at long-term follow-up despite developing ISR.