Safety of Tailored Transfemoral Carotid Artery Stenting for Symptomatic Elderly Patients: A Single Center Observational Study

OBJECTIVE: Transfemoral carotid artery stenting (TFCAS) in symptomatic elderly patients (>= 70 years old) may have a high periprocedural stroke rate. This study was performed to examine whether tailored TFCAS for symptomatic elderly patients is as safe as that for symptomatic non-elderly patients. METHODS: The subjects were 185 patients with symptomatic internal carotid artery stenosis. Tailored TFCAS including postoperative management was performed based on preoperative examinations of vascular anatomy, plaque imaging, platelet aggregation activity, and cerebral hemodynamic impairment. The major 30-day perioperative stroke rates were examined. RESULTS: The patients included 51 (27.6%) <70 (group Y) and 134 (72.4%) >= 70 (group E) years old. Group E included significantly more cases with an elongated aortic arch, tortuous target lesion, and longer plaques (all P < 0.05). Among all cases, 181 (97.8%) procedures were performed as per preoperative planning. Group E had more frequent use of a proximal embolic protection device and a closed-cell or dual-layer micromesh stent (all P < 0.05). Seven patients (3.8%) had major stroke. Rates of major ischemic stroke (2.0% vs. 3.0%, P = 1.00) and intracranial hemorrhage (2.0% vs. 0.8%, P = 0.48) were low and did not differ significantly between groups Y and E. CONCLUSIONS: Symptomatic elderly patients have several unfavorable factors. However, tailored TFCAS for each patient based on preoperative examinations in symptomatic elderly patients may be as safe as that in symptomatic nonelderly patients.