title: European Registry of Carotid Artery Stenting: results from a prospective registry of eight high volume EUROPEAN institutions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is the standard revascularization therapy to prevent stroke in patients with carotid artery disease. Carotid artery stenting (CAS) could be considered a potential alternative in patients at high surgical risk. Recent clinical trials have challenged this concept due a relatively high incidence of post-CAS adverse events, which occurred in low volume centers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes associated with neuroprotected CAS in selected high volume centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 2007 to December 2007, 1,611 patients underwent neuroprotected CAS in eight European Centers. For each patients, clinical, procedural, and one month follow-up data from all patients have been collected. An independent clinical events committee adjudicated the events.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall in hospital death was 0.06% (one patient), whereas in-hospital stroke was 0.49% (eight patients). Between hospital discharge and 30 days three additional patients died (0.18%) and 10 patients experienced a stroke (0.67%). Overall 30 days mortality was 0.24% (four patients) and stroke incidence 1.12% (18 patients). The 30 day stroke/death rate was 1.36%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CAS is a reasonable alternative to CEA to treat carotid artery atherosclerosis in well-experienced high volume centers. These data suggest that future prospective trials comparing CAS and CEA outcomes should include only centers highly experienced in both treatment modalities.
authors.affiliation: Invasive Cardiology Laboratory, ClinicaMontevergine, Mercogliano, Italy. geko50@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stabile
authors.forename: Pallav
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cremonesi
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bosiers
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Reimers
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Setacci
authors.forename: Piergiorgio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Andrej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Horst
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sievert
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peeters
authors.forename: Dimitry
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nikas
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: Gianmarco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: de Donato
authors.forename: Giambattista
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parlani
authors.forename: Fausto
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Castriota
authors.forename: Marius
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hornung
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mauri
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rubino
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017130:Angioplasty / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000401:mortality; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D061847:Hospitals, High-Volume / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015607:Stents; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome