Key words: vertebral arterystenosis, endovascular treatment info:eu-repo/semantics/article BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the initial and long-term results of endovascular treatment (EVT) in patients with symptomatic high-grade extracranial vertebral artery (VA) origin stenosis. METHODS: From February 2001 to March 2013, 73 consecutive patients (33 men with a mean age of 61.7 6 8.8 years) underwent EVT for symptomatic high-grade VA stenosis. Preoperative evaluation included Duplex ultrasonography and arteriography. After successful treatment, all patients were followed up at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure and every 6 months thereafter. RESULTS: Successful EVT of the VA stenosis was achieved in 68 patients (93.2%). All procedures were performed without use of cerebral protection. The early complication rate was 5.5%, which included one periprocedural transient ischemic attack, two hematomas at the puncture site, and one allergic reaction to the contrast agent. No in-hospital deaths occurred. During follow-up (mean, 44.3 6 31.2 months; range, 2-144 months), the primary patency rates at 1, 3, 5, and 7 years were 98.4%, 87.3%, 87.3%, and 87.3%, respectively. Ultrasound Doppler controls during follow-up detected seven VA restenoses (10.3%). Univariate analysis failed to identify any variable predictive of long-term patency of successfully treated VA stenosis. CONCLUSION: EVT of symptomatic VA origin stenosis is a safe and effective procedure associated with low risk and good long-term results, even without use of cerebral protection devices. Accepted version https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:2911 doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2014.01.023 cobiss:125855241 ISSN: 0741-5214 application/pdf 310406 bytes eng 2014 Journal of Vascular Surgery 60(1) Radak, Đorđe Sagić, Dragan Babić, Srđan Tanasković, Slobodan Kovačević, Vladimir Otašević, Petar Rančić, Zoran Endovascular treatment of symptomatic high-grade vertebral artery stenosis http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Podaci o licenci prema https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/3223