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Updated: Jul 9, 2026
A Murine Model of Stent Implantation in the Carotid Artery for the Study of Restenosis
Published on: May 14, 2013
Carotid angioplasty stenting revisited: clinical and radiological (MRI) outcome
Karima Ghorab1, Francisco Macian, Thierry Adoukounou
1Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Limoges, Limoges, France.
Insights
Carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) is a feasible procedure for high-risk patients, showing low mortality. Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) effectively detects post-procedure neurological complications.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Interventional Cardiology
- Radiology
Background:
- Carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) is a common treatment for carotid stenosis.
- Recent studies suggest CAS may be inferior to carotid endarterectomy.
- High surgical risk contraindicates endarterectomy in certain patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and safety of CAS in high-risk patients.
- To assess the utility of diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) in detecting neurological complications post-CAS.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 50 consecutive CAS cases in high-risk patients.
- Pre- and post-procedure diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) was performed.
- Neurological assessment in a stroke unit was conducted.
Main Results:
- No deaths occurred within 30 days post-CAS.
- 12% of patients showed positive DWI MRI findings after the procedure.
- Only 4% of patients experienced a decline in neurological status.
Conclusions:
- CAS is a feasible option with low morbid-mortality in high-risk patients.
- DWI is a sensitive tool for identifying neurological complications after CAS.
Background:
Although carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) is widely used to treat carotid stenosis, recent studies point to the inferiority of the procedure compared with carotid endarterectomy.
Methods:
We present 50 consecutive cases of CAS treated in our unit. Endarterectomy was contraindicated in these patients due to high operative risk. All the patients underwent a diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) before and after the procedure and had a neurological assessment in a stroke unit.
Results:
No deaths were recorded until 30 days after the procedure. Six patients [12%, confidence interval at 95% (CI(95)) = 3.7-20.2] had a positive DWI MRI after the procedure but only 2 (4%, CI(95) = 0-9.43) had a worse neurological status.
Conclusion:
This study shows that CAS is feasible with a low morbid-mortality rate in patients with a high surgical risk. DWI is highly sensitive to detect neurological complications after the procedure.
