| Summary: | Background: Intracranial atherosclerotic disease is an important cause of ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion. The acute management of these occlusions is challenging and associates an important risk of complications, especially when mechanical thrombectomy does not achieve vessel recanalization. In this context, the ELUTAX “3″ drug-eluting balloon has been designed for neurological procedures. Nevertheless, there is not enough clinical evidence of this balloon. We report our experience with ELUTAX “3” during mechanical thrombectomy, explaining the technical details and the outcome of the procedure, the subsequent management and the clinical evolution of the patients. Methods: We report four cases of patients with acute stroke due to intracranial atherosclerosis who were treated with the Elutax “3″ drug-eluting-balloon. Results: Using the Elutax “3″ we achieved a complete recovery of the occluded arteries caliber (mTICI 3) and a good performance status of our patients on discharge, with the only remarkable complication of a mild asymptomatic subarachnoid bleeding in one of them. The 90-days mRS in those patients was less or equal than 2, and they have not experienced recurrence of the strokes in the long term follow-up. Conclusions: In our experience, the Elutax “3″ might be a safe and effective therapeutic option in acute large vessel occlusion secondary to intracranial atherosclerotic disease. However, further studies will be necessary to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this device.
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