Carotid-artery stenting in stroke prevention.

Stroke is a massive medical and societal challenge. It is the third most common cause of death among adults and the leading cause of long-term disability. We need better ways to treat acute stroke — and this need has been addressed by the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy vs. Stenting Trial (CREST; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00004732), the results of which are reported by Brott and colleagues in this issue of the Journal.1 The CREST results have been eagerly awaited, since they follow a series of reports of trials that indicate either a trend toward inferiority or significant inferiority of carotid-artery stenting as . . .

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