Objective: To evaluate the effect of lesion length on in-stent restenosis (ISR) after intracranial stenting.
Methods: Between March 2004 and September 2009, 65 patients with symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis were successfully implanted with single bare metal balloon-mounted stent. All received a conventional angiographic follow-up. The patients were divided into three groups according to lesion length: short lesions (< 5 mm), medium lesions (5-10 mm) and long lesions (> 10 mm). ISR was defined as > 50% stenosis within stent or absolute luminal loss > 20%. The influence of different lesion lengths on ISR was evaluated. Furthermore, the independent predictive factors for ISR were selected.
Results: There were short lesions (n = 28), medium lesions (n = 29) and long lesions (n = 8). The median interval of angiographic follow-up was 7 months with a range of 5-30 months. Of 65 patients, 19 (29.2%) had ISR. The ISR rates were 14.3%, 37.9% and 50% in short lesions, medium lesions and long lesions respectively (P = 0.045). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that lesion length (HR = 1.210; 95%CI = 1.011-1.446; P = 0.037) and diabetes (HR = 2.630; 95%CI = 1.032-6.705; P = 0.043) were associated with ISR.
Conclusion: Lesion length and diabetes are two independent predictors for ISR after intracranial stenting.