Observation of the Angioplasty Effect of Stent-Retriever Thrombectomy in Acute Intracranial Atherosclerotic Artery Stenosis

Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) is one of the most common causes of ischemic stroke worldwide, and endovascular treatment is the primary therapeutic approach, but the clinical recanalization rate is low. Clinical practice has revealed the occurrence of an angioplasty effect following endovascular treatment, which may explain the low recanalization rate. Four patients with ICAS who underwent endovascular therapy were included in this retrospective case series. Demographic, medical histories, treatment, and outcome data were extracted. After undergoing stent-retriever thrombectomy, patients were monitored to assess whether the stenosis showed transient improvement only. The blood flow was observed for 10 to 30 minutes by digital subtraction angiography (DSA), and stent implantation was considered. Clinical data were collected on 4 patients with ICAS who received endovascular treatment. Therefore, we propose the angioplasty effect of stent-retriever thrombectomy, which holds significant value in guiding endovascular treatment.