The Optimal Treatment of Carotid Atherosclerosis: A 2008 Update and Literature Review

Abstract Carotid and cerebrovascular disease have major public health implications given the associated morbidity and mortality. However, the best treatment for this disease is uncertain. Carotid endarterectomy has proven useful in primary and secondary prevention of strokes for patients with significant internal carotid artery stenoses. Many patients are considered at high risk for such surgical procedures and therefore have relatively few treatment options. Carotid stenting is currently being investigated as an alternative therapeutic intervention for these patients. This article reviews the literature pertaining to carotid intervention and its current status in 2008.

[1]  Hong Wang,et al.  Long-term results of carotid stenting versus endarterectomy in high-risk patients. , 2008, The New England journal of medicine.

[2]  W. Gray,et al.  Carotid artery revascularization in high-surgical-risk patients using the Carotid WALLSTENT and FilterWire EX/EZ: 1-year outcomes in the BEACH Pivotal Group. , 2008, Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

[3]  K. Harjai,et al.  Trials and tribulations of carotid artery stenting: The Interventionalists' perspective on SAPPHIRE, EVA-3S, and SPACE Trials. , 2007, Journal of interventional cardiology.

[4]  Deepak L. Bhatt,et al.  One-year cardiovascular event rates in outpatients with atherothrombosis. , 2007, JAMA.

[5]  R. Green,et al.  PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE Original Studies The CAPTURE Registry: Results of Carotid Stenting With Embolic Protection in the Post Approval Setting , 2007 .

[6]  E. Peterson,et al.  ACCF/SCAI/SVMB/SIR/ASITN 2007 Clinical Expert Consensus Document on carotid stenting. , 2007, Vascular medicine.

[7]  Xavier Ducrocq,et al.  Endarterectomy versus stenting in patients with symptomatic severe carotid stenosis. , 2006, The New England journal of medicine.

[8]  W. Hacke,et al.  30 day results from the SPACE trial of stent-protected angioplasty versus carotid endarterectomy in symptomatic patients: a randomised non-inferiority trial , 2006, The Lancet.

[9]  J. Bacharach,et al.  Protected carotid stenting in high-risk patients with severe carotid artery stenosis. , 2006, Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

[10]  C. White,et al.  Carotid stenting with distal protection in high surgical risk patients: The BEACH trial 30 day results , 2006, Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions.

[11]  P. Wolf,et al.  Heart disease and stroke statistics--2006 update: a report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. , 2006, Circulation.

[12]  Deepak L. Bhatt,et al.  International prevalence, recognition, and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors in outpatients with atherothrombosis. , 2006, JAMA.

[13]  P. Gaines,et al.  Carotid artery stenting for patients with asymptomatic carotid disease (and news on TACIT). , 2005, European journal of vascular and endovascular surgery : the official journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery.

[14]  C. Bartolozzi,et al.  Silent Cerebral Ischemia Detected With Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Patients Treated With Protected and Unprotected Carotid Artery Stenting , 2005, Stroke.

[15]  Deepak L. Bhatt,et al.  Comparison of results of carotid stenting followed by open heart surgery versus combined carotid endarterectomy and open heart surgery (coronary bypass with or without another procedure). , 2005, The American journal of cardiology.

[16]  F. Castriota,et al.  PRIAMUS--proximal flow blockage cerebral protectIon during carotid stenting: results from a multicenter Italian registry. , 2005, The Journal of cardiovascular surgery.

[17]  M. Cosottini,et al.  Postprocedural emboli in carotid artery stenting: where do they come from? , 2005, Stroke.

[18]  G. Schuler,et al.  Proximal Endovascular Flow Blockage for Cerebral Protection during Carotid Artery Stenting: Results from a Prospective Multicenter Registry , 2005, Journal of endovascular therapy : an official journal of the International Society of Endovascular Specialists.

[19]  Deepak L. Bhatt,et al.  Comparison of the safety and efficacy of emboli prevention devices versus platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibition during carotid stenting. , 2005, The American journal of cardiology.

[20]  S. Anand,et al.  Prevention of disabling and fatal strokes by successful carotid endarterectomy in patients without recent neurological symptoms: randomized controlled trial. MRC asymptomatic carotid surgery trial (ACST) collaborative group. Lancet 2004; 363: 1491-502. , 2005, Vascular medicine.

[21]  J. Yadav.  Embolic protection devices: methods, techniques, and data. , 2004, Techniques in vascular and interventional radiology.

[22]  R. Cambria.  Stenting for carotid-artery stenosis. , 2004, The New England journal of medicine.

[23]  T. Bajwa,et al.  Protected carotid-artery stenting versus endarterectomy in high-risk patients. , 2004, The New England journal of medicine.

[24]  K. Mathias,et al.  Pro-CAS: A Prospective Registry of Carotid Angioplasty and Stenting , 2004, Stroke.

[25]  Jeroen J. Bax,et al.  Long-term prognostic value of asymptomatic cardiac troponin T elevations in patients after major vascular surgery. , 2004, European journal of vascular and endovascular surgery : the official journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery.

[26]  R. Peto,et al.  Prevention of disabling and fatal strokes by successful carotid endarterectomy in patients without recent neurological symptoms: randomised controlled trial , 2004, The Lancet.

[27]  Deepak L. Bhatt,et al.  Feasibility of simultaneous bilateral carotid artery stenting , 2004, Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions.

[28]  G. Chatellier,et al.  Carotid Angioplasty and Stenting With and Without Cerebral Protection: Clinical Alert From the Endarterectomy Versus Angioplasty in Patients With Symptomatic Severe Carotid Stenosis (EVA-3S) Trial , 2004, Stroke.

[29]  H. Aronow,et al.  Embolic Protection for Carotid Artery Stenting-A—No Brainer’ , 2004, Acta chirurgica Belgica.

[30]  S. Mckinlay.  Carotid Revascularization Using Endarterectomy or Stenting Systems (CARESS): Phase I Clinical Trial , 2003 .

[31]  Mark H Wholey,et al.  Updated review of the global carotid artery stent registry , 2003, Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions.

[32]  Andreas Kastrup,et al.  Early Outcome of Carotid Angioplasty and Stenting With and Without Cerebral Protection Devices: A Systematic Review of the Literature , 2003, Stroke.

[33]  S. Gutnikov,et al.  Analysis of pooled data from the randomised controlled trials of endarterectomy for symptomatic carotid stenosis , 2003, The Lancet.

[34]  J. Yadav,et al.  Embolization in atherosclerosis. , 2002, Neuroimaging clinics of North America.

[35]  Deepak L. Bhatt,et al.  Dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin after carotid artery stenting. , 2001, The Journal of invasive cardiology.

[36]  J M Bland,et al.  Endovascular versus surgical treatment in patients with carotid stenosis in the Carotid and Vertebral Artery Transluminal Angioplasty Study (CAVATAS): a randomised trial , 2001, The Lancet.

[37]  M. Alberts.  Genetics update : impact of the human genome projects and identification of a stroke gene. , 2001, Stroke.

[38]  M. Alberts,et al.  Results of a Multicenter Prospective Randomized Trial of Carotid Artery Stenting vs. Carotid Endarterectomy , 2001, Stroke.

[39]  K. Eagle.  Estimation of risk reduction. , 1999, Circulation.

[40]  E L Hannan,et al.  The fall and rise of carotid endarterectomy in the United States and Canada. , 1998, The New England journal of medicine.

[41]  J. Slattery,et al.  Randomised trial of endarterectomy for recently symptomatic carotid stenosis: final results of the MRC European Carotid Surgery Trial (ECST) , 1998, The Lancet.

[42]  E S Fisher,et al.  Variation in carotid endarterectomy mortality in the Medicare population: trial hospitals, volume, and patient characteristics. , 1998, JAMA.

[43]  U Kaul,et al.  Elective stenting of extracranial carotid arteries. , 1997, The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India.

[44]  H. Winn,et al.  Carotid endarterectomy and prevention of cerebral ischemia in symptomatic carotid stenosis. Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program 309 Trialist Group. , 1991, JAMA.

[45]  Ralph G. Dacey,et al.  Carotid Endarterectomy and Prevention of Cerebral Ischemia in Symptomatic Carotid Stenosis , 1991 .

[46]  D. Sackett,et al.  Beneficial effect of carotid endarterectomy in symptomatic patients with high-grade carotid stenosis. , 1991, The New England journal of medicine.

[47]  J. Seeger.  30 day results from the SPACE trial of stent-protected angioplasty versus carotid endarterectomy in symptomatic patients: a randomised noninferiority trialHacke W, for The SPACE Collaborative Group (Univ of Heidelberg, Germany; et al) Lancet 368:1239–1247, 2006§ , 2007 .

[48]  A. Germing.  Endarterectomy versus stenting in patients with symptomatic severe carotid stenosis , 2007 .

[49]  T. Thom,et al.  American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee : Heart disease and stroke statistical-2006 update : A report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke statistics subcommittee , 2006 .

[50]  P. Mackowiak,et al.  Symptomatic Patients Have Similar Outcomes Compared With Asymptomatic Patients After Carotid Artery Stenting With Emboli Protection , 2005 .

[51]  Timothy J Gardner,et al.  ACC/AHA 2004 guideline update for coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Committee to Update the 1999 Guidelines for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery). , 2004, Circulation.

[52]  Deepak L. Bhatt.  Emboli protection devices. , 2004, The Journal of invasive cardiology.

[53]  Endarterectomy for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. Executive Committee for the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study. , 1995, JAMA.