Horizontal stent placement plus coiling in a broad-based basilar-tip aneurysm: an alternative to the Y-stent technique

Abstract

Basilar tip aneurysms are the most frequent type of aneurysm in the posterior circulation. Specifically, if wide-necked, they remain a significant therapeutic challenge. On the endovascular side, stents may help to overcome many of these technical challenges. However, if both P1 segments encroach into the aneurysm neck, sometimes stent placement from the middle of the basilar artery to one P1 segment is not enough. Therefore, some groups recommend the use of the so-called Y-stent technique, with one stent passing through the interstices of another stent in a Y-configuration thus remodelling the basilar tip. We describe a patient with a broad-based basilar tip aneurysm and a single, very tortuous vertebral artery which did not allow the use of the vertebrobasilar system as the straight route to the aneurysm. Because of the well-known high surgical risk we decided to navigate the stent through the internal carotid artery and via the posterior communicating artery into the contralateral P1 segment and placed the stent at right angles to the aneurysm from one P1 segment to the contralateral one. The outcome in the patients was excellent without any ischemic lesions. Horizontal stent placement in wide-necked basilar tip aneurysms may be a therapeutic alternative if the regular route via the vertebral arteries is not feasible.