[Endovascular or surgical treatment of the carotid arteries].

Ischemic stroke is the third most common cause of death right after myocardial infarction and malignancies. Most cases of stroke are due to extracranial carotid atherosclerotic disease. The percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting of the carotid arteries have emerged as an alternative to the standart carotid endarterectomy mainly because they are less invasive procedures. Carotid stenting with or without the use of neuroprotection devices proves to be effective in high-risk patients with carotid stenosis. Nevertheless, there is no clear proof that endovascular techniques outmatch the classic surgical methods.