Carotid angioplasty

Aspirin and carotid endarterectomy represent the current method of prophylaxis against stroke in patients with symptomatic high grade carotid stenoses. Whilst balloon dilatation and stent placement is an accepted form of recannalization, elsewhere in the arterial circulation the technique is in its infancy within the supra-aortic vessels. Carotid endarterectomy is expensive, requires a general anaesthetic and is associated with an acceptable complication rate as demonstrated by the ECST and NASCET studies. The author's experience in 55 patients with symptomatic high grade atherosclerotic disease is described with a disabling stroke rate at 30 days similar to the surgical series (5%). Long-term follow-up is awaited. Metallic intra-arterial stents provide the opportunity to reduce the immediate postintervention residual stenosis and possibly reduce the long-term restenosis rate. Modifications of the technique are in development and may reduce the cerebral embolization that occurs during the procedure.