Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39168503›Full record

SynthesisStroke and vascular neurology2025

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting (PTAS) in patients with symptomatic intracranial vertebrobasilar artery stenosis (IVBS).

Ramtin Pourahmad, Kiarash Saleki, Sina Zoghi, Ramtin Hajibeygi, Hamed Ghorani, Amin Javanbakht, Sina Goodarzi, Parsa Alijanizadeh, Kelly Trinh, Ravi Shastri and 1 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Stroke and vascular neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Ramtin PourahmadTehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran (the Islamic Republic of).
Kiarash SalekiStudent Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Science, Babol, Iran (the Islamic Republic of).
Sina Zoghi *Shiraz Medical School, Shiraz, Iran (the Islamic Republic of).ORCID 0000-0001-5966-5590
Ramtin Hajibeygi *Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran (the Islamic Republic of).
Hamed GhoraniTehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran (the Islamic Republic of).
Amin JavanbakhtAbadan University of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran (the Islamic Republic of).
Sina GoodarziStudent Research Committee, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran (the Islamic Republic of).
Parsa AlijanizadehStudent Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Science, Babol, Iran (the Islamic Republic of).
Kelly TrinhTexas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
Ravi ShastriDepartment of radiology, Section of Vascular Interventional Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA mdghrad@gmail.com Ravi.shastri@bcm.edu.
Mohammad Ghasemi-RadDepartment of radiology, Section of Vascular Interventional Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA mdghrad@gmail.com Ravi.shastri@bcm.edu.ORCID 0000-0001-6763-900X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundApproximately 20% of all transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) and ischaemic strokes occur within the posterior circulation, with vertebrobasilar stenosis identified as the cause in roughly 25% of the cases. Studies have shown that about a quarter of these patients have atherosclerotic stenosis of at least 50% of the vertebrobasilar artery. Stenosis has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of 90-day recurrent vertebrobasilar stroke, particularly in the first few weeks, which is significantly higher when compared with patients with stenosis of the anterior circulation. Therefore, aggressive treatment is important for the patient's prognosis. Stenting is emerging as a promising therapeutic strategy for persistent ischaemia events that do not respond to the best medical treatment, but it is not without complications. We systematically reviewed the literature on percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting (PTAS) for intracranial vertebrobasilar artery stenosis (IVBS).

methodsPubMed, Web-of-Science and Scopus were searched upon the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to include prospective/retrospective cohort, randomised/non-randomised clinical trials and case series studies describing PTAS for IVBS. Pooled rates of intervention-related complications and outcomes were analysed with random-effect model meta-analysis using StataMP V.18.0 software.

results31 studies were found eligible which included 1928 cases. 1103 basilar artery stenosis cases were reported in 27 studies 0.65 (95% CI 0.53, 0.76), I

conclusionIn certain individuals with medically unresolved, severe, symptomatic and non-acute IVBS, elective vertebrobasilar PTAS appears to be both safe and effective. Various stent designs and angioplasty-assisted techniques should be taken into consideration based on the specific clinical and radiological traits of the lesions. Future randomised controlled trials are required to verify these results.

Indexed as

AngioplastyStentsVertebrobasilar InsufficiencyAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRecurrenceRisk AssessmentRisk FactorsTime FactorsTreatment OutcomeAngioplastyBalloonCranial Fossa, PosteriorInterventionStroke

Identifiers

PMID39168503
PMCPMC12107441

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.