Usefulness of Stent-assisted Coil Embolization for Treatment of Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Aneurysms

We encountered four female patients aged 45-66 years (mean age, 56.3 years) who were treated with stent-assisted embolization of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) aneurysm to preserve the artery. One and three patients had a right and left PICA aneurysm, respectively, and two aneurysms were ruptured. In all patients, the PICA ipsilateral to the aneurysm was inserted with a microcatheter from the contralateral vertebral artery (VA), and subsequently embolized by stent placement distal to the VA. A postoperative asymptomatic cerebellar infarction was observed in one patient, but no complications occurred and all patients exhibited a modified Rankin score of 0 before discharge. No stent obstruction occurred throughout the postoperative follow-up period (6-12 months). The stent could be expanded in a thin blood vessel, such as the PICA, to embolize the aneurysm. However, cases of obstruction have been reported. Thus, stent application in each patient should be investigated.