Venous sinus stenting

When is it considered?

Your sight is at risk from IIH.
Medicines have not worked well or cause side effects you cannot tolerate.
Sometimes for severe pulsatile tinnitus or headaches that greatly affect quality of life.

You will usually have a general anaesthetic so you are asleep.
A doctor inserts a thin tube into a vein at the top of the leg or wrist and guides it to the brain veins using X-ray imaging.
Pressures are measured across the narrowed vein in the brain (venous sinus).
A small mesh tube called a stent is placed to hold the vein open and improve drainage.
You will take two antiplatelet medicines, usually for 6 months, then continue one long term as advised.
Most people stay in hospital overnight and go home the next day.
A follow-up CT or MR venogram is usually performed to assess the stents.

Figures below are approximate and depend on your individual health. Your team will discuss what they mean for you.

Bleeding in the brain (intracranial haemorrhage) in fewer than 2 in 100 people.
Temporary headaches are common, possibly in up to half of patients.
Clotting or narrowing in or near the stent that may need further treatment in about 9 in 100 people.
Permanent neurological problems in fewer than 2 in 100 people.
A risk to life in fewer than 1 in 100 people.
General risks linked to angiography, such as bruising at the puncture site or contrast allergy.

Take your medicines exactly as prescribed, especially antiplatelets after stenting.
Attend all eye and clinic appointments to monitor your vision and pressure.
Seek urgent help if you have sudden worsening headache, new neurological symptoms, new or worsening visual loss, severe groin or wrist pain or swelling, or an allergic reaction.