title: The significance of incomplete stent apposition in patients undergoing stenting of internal carotid artery stenosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Incomplete stent apposition after carotid angioplasty and stent placement (CAS) is often seen but little is known about how the incomplete attachment goes after stent placement. For example, some may change into restenosis around the stent edge and some may remain unchanged. The purpose of this study is to clarify the morphologic prognosis of an incomplete stent apposition at the stent edge.
  
  
  METHODS
  CAS was attempted on 135 consecutive stenotic lesions (124 patients). Angiograms were then evaluated immediately after the procedure. An incomplete stent apposition at stent edge was found in 15 patients, and all of them were followed up by angiography and MR imaging with antiplatelet therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No ischemic event caused by the lesions occurred during the mean follow-up period of 11 months (from 4 to 32 months). The angiography findings of 15 lesions at a mean of 8.8 months (from 2 to 28 months) after CAS showed that all remained unchanged. No patients required any additional intervention. No new ischemic lesions were detected in any of the 15 patients who underwent follow-up MR imaging at a mean of 10 months (from 2 to 32 months) after CAS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, the existence of a segment of incomplete stent apposition had no adverse morphologic or clinical effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Fukuoka University Chikushi Hospital, 377-1 Ohara-Zokumyoin, Chikushino City, Fukuoka 818-8592, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onizuka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kazekawa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsutsumi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aikawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomokiyo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iko
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nii
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000517:prevention & control; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011379:Prognosis; D015641:Radiography, Interventional; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects; D013988:Ticlopidine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D013988:Ticlopidine; D001241:Aspirin