title: Carotid artery stenting: acute and long-term results.
abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of carotid artery stenting (CAS) in high-risk patients. Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has been shown to be more effective than medical therapy but has limitations. CAS may be a reasonable alternative, particularly in high-risk patients. The authors evaluated prospectively the safety and efficacy of CAS in 299 consecutive patients who underwent CAS of 343 extracranial carotid arteries. Of the patients enrolled, 210 (70%) would have been excluded from the major trials of CEA, and 84 (28%) were referred by vascular surgeons. This series represents a very high-risk group that included patients with unstable angina, previous ipsilateral CEA, contralateral carotid occlusion, and other severe comorbid illnesses. Seventy-four (25%) patients were aged 80 years or more. All patients had independent neurologic examination before and after the procedure. Three hundred seventy-six stents were deployed in 343 arteries. Procedural success was 99%. Mean stenosis was 75 +/- 12% before and 7 +/- 8% after the procedure. Ninety-two patients had coronary intervention. Only 56 (19%) patients were North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET) eligible. During the initial hospitalization and 30 days post-CAS, there were two (0.6%) major and seven (2.3%) minor strokes. There were no myocardial infarctions or deaths during or within 30 days of CAS. None of the NASCET-eligible patients had a stroke. At a mean follow-up period of 26 +/- 13 months, eight (2.7%) patients had asymptomatic restenosis. No additional major strokes or neurologic deaths occurred. In conclusion, CAS is feasible, can be performed even in high-risk patients, and is associated with a low restenosis rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Cardiology, Washington Adventist Hospital, 7600 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912, USA. fshawl@ahm.com
authors.forename: Fayaz A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Shawl
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D002341:Carotid Artery Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D011859:Radiography; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015607:Stents; D013995:Time; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014859:Warfarin / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D014859:Warfarin