Abstract:

Objective

To investigate the effect of Wuchong Tongluo Capsule in preventing and treating restenosis after vertebrobasilar artery stenting.

Methods

One hundred and fifty patients diagnosed with vertebrobasilar artery stenting， exhibiting the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome of wind， phlegm， and blood stasis due to stroke， were enrolled at our hospital from October 2019 to September 2021. These patients were randomly assigned to two groups using a double-blind method: a control group（75 cases） treated with conventional Western medicine and a treatment group （75 cases） additionally administered Wuchong Tongluo Capsule. The blood lipid levels ［total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG），low density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）］， serum inflammatory factors ［interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， hypersensitive C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）］， peak systolic flow velocity （PSV），and diastole of the two groups before and after treatment were compared end-stage flow velocity （EDV），carotid intima media thickness （IMT）， plaque number， plaque size score， TCM syndrome score and restenosis rate were compared. At the same time， liver enzyme indexes ［alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， γ glutamyl transferase （GGT）］， serum creatinine （Scr） were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Gastrointestinal reactions before and after treatment were also compared.

Results

There were no significant differences in PSV， EDV， IMT， plaque number， plaque size score and TCM syndrome score between the two groups before surgery （P＞0.05）. 6 months after surgery，the values of TC， TG， LDL-C， IL-6， TNF-α， hs-CRP， PSV， EDV， IMT， plaque number， plaque size integral，TCM syndrome volume and restenosis rate in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group（P＜0.05）. There was no significant difference in ALT， AST， GGT， Scr and gastrointestinal reaction between the two groups before and after 6 months treatment （P＞0.05）.

Conclusion

In the postoperative treatment of patients with vertebrobasilar artery stenting， the addition of Wuchong Tongluo capsule on the basis of conventional western medicine can effectively improve hemodynamics， reduce plaque burden， ameliorate TCM syndrome， regulate inflammatory factors and lipid levels， demonstrating a favorable impact on the prevention and treatment of restenosis.

Key words: Wuchong Tongluo capsule, Vertebrobasilar artery stenting, Restenosis, Inflammatory factors, Lipid level