title: What is the current status of invasive treatment of extracranial carotid artery disease?
abstract: Year 2011 sees the publication of U.S. guidelines that recommend expanding indications for carotid artery stenting into "average-risk" patients, whereas guidelines from Australia/New Zealand largely do not. This article reviews the status of invasive treatment of carotid disease and highlights 2 controversial issues that were not really addressed in these guidelines: (1) a lack of emphasis on the importance of intervening rapidly after transient ischemic attack/minor stroke; and (2) why continue to recommend that only "highly selected" asymptomatic patients should undergo intervention when virtually no-one pays any attention?
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Clinical Sciences Building, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE27LX, UK. ross.naylor@uhl-tr.nhs.uk
authors.forename: A Ross
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Naylor
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D002309:Cardiology / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States