title: Improved cerebral vasoreactivity following percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with stenting of high-grade internal carotid artery stenosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to assess the effects of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with stenting on cerebral vasoreactivity in carotid stenosis (CS).
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied the changes in the middle cerebral artery using transcranial Doppler and the breath-holding index (BHI) after hypercapnia in 33 patients with CS (15 symptomatic, 18 asymptomatic) before and 1 day and 1 month after stenting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One day after stenting, the BHI significantly increased (p < 0.01) on the previously stenotic side in all patients. One month after stenting, the BHI was significantly higher on the contralateral side of asymptomatic (p < 0.05) and symptomatic patients (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with stenting results in increasing improvement close to normalization of impaired cerebral vasoreactivity in patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic high-grade CS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brcić
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Horner
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thaler
authors.forename: Vida
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Demarin
authors.forename: Gunther Erich
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Niederkorn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D054022:Cerebrum / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial; D014664:Vasodilation