Carotid artery stenting: acute and long-term results.

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.