"Stent view" flat-detector CT and stent-assisted treatment strategies for complex intracranial aneurysms.

Abstract

Complex intracranial aneurysms are often treated with endovascular stent-assisted coiling. Intracranial stents are difficult to visualize with conventional computed tomography (CT) or fluoroscopy. "Stent view" flat-detector CT can be used to visualize intracranial stents during endovascular treatment. Three patients underwent endovascular treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms. Stent view flat-detector CT was used to study stent placement and morphology in vivo. Stent view CT was successful in visualizing stents in all patients. In two patients, stent morphology rendered endovascular coiling technically unfeasible; in one patient, visualization of stent strut herniation into the aneurysm lumen allowed successful coil embolization of the aneurysm. Stent view CT provided detailed imaging of stent placement and morphology in all three cases. The technique influenced treatment decisions and technical outcomes. Stent view CT is a valuable intraprocedural technical tool in stent-assisted endovascular procedures.