Endovascular Drug-Coated Stenting of Basilar Artery Stenosis: A Case Report and Literature Review

Patients with a symptomatic basilar artery stenosis have a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Despite the best medical efforts, there is still a high incidence of stroke. A surgical bypass is technically demanding with a high mortality and morbidity rate. Percutaneous angioplasty still carries a risk of procedure related complication and restenosis. Stenting has been shown to improve the safety and durability of angioplasty in the coronary and peripheral arteries. Recently, stenting of the intracranial arteries has been attempted by some investigators with newer and more trackable stents. We report a case of a basilar artery stenosis that was successfully treated using a drug-coated stent.ope