Carotid angioplasty with cerebral protection and stenting:: Report of 164 patients (194 carotid percutaneous transluminal angioplasties)

Background: The introduction of cerebral protection devices with systematic stent placement has changed the nature of carotid artery stenosis treatment, reducing the immediate periprocedural complications and delayed restenosis. Methods: We treated 164 patients with 194 carotid artery stenosis procedures; 92% of them were symptomatic patients. Results: The morbidity rate of our series was 1.03% and the mortality was 1.9%. Conclusions: In the future, carotid stenosis treatment should perhaps be performed as a preventative measure and not used as a cure for full-blown symptoms. This could be effective in reducing the morbidity and mortality rates of this pathology. Copyright (C) 2002 S, Karger AG, Basel.