Randomized clinical trials: impact on clinical practice for symptomatic and asymptomatic extracranial carotid occlusive disease.

Carotid artery stenting (CAS) has emerged as a useful and potentially less invasive alternative to carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for the treatment of extracranial carotid stenoses. In this regard, it has been suggested that specific patient subgroups who may benefit from CAS including those with significant medical comorbidities, recurrent stenosis, anatomically inaccessible lesions, and a hostile neck. However, the purpose of this report is to evaluate whether or not CAS should replace CEA in the treatment of symptomatic and asymptomatic disease in better risk patients, also. This report contains results from recently published randomized clinical trials.