Temporary and permanent occlusion of cerebral arteries: Indications and techniques

The development of controlled detachable coils and the adjunctive use of balloons and stents to allow for the treatment of even wide-necked aneurysms with the preservation of the parent artery have decreased the necessity for arterial sacrifice. In the near future, flexible covered stents that may be deployed within tortuous cerebral vessels will decrease the need for parent artery occlusion, but for now, permanent endovascular occlusion of the internal carotid and vertebral arteries remains an effective, safe, and well- proven technique for the treatment of certain aneurysms and other lesions.