Stent Induced Changes to the Radius of Curvature of the Cerebrovasculature

Stent implantation has expanded the endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms to those with widenecks, that were previously unfavorable to coil embolization. Past studies have found that several mechanisms including stent-induced endothelization and hemodynamic changes due to alteration in vessel geometry may contribute to stable clot formation within the aneurysmal sac and aid in aneurismal healing [1,2]. Change in the angle of the parent arteries after stent-assisted coil embolization of anterior communicating artery (Acom) aneurysms has been measured on projection angiograms; however, use of 2D angiographic datasets to describe changes of vessel angle in 3D may result in significant error. The goal of this study was to quantitatively characterize the change in the radius of curvature (RC) of the parent artery induced by the implantation of an intracranial stent in 3D.