Carotid angioplasty with stent placement under protection: experience with 1037 cells

Carotid angioplasty with stent placement under filter protection: experience with 1037 cases. Carotid artery stenting (CAS) technique was greatly improved with the introduction of protection devices i.e. filters (PD). The aim of this report was to compare the results of protected versus unprotected stenting, performed before the PD availability. Among the 1037 CAS included in this report, 72 were carried out without PD between 1998 and 2000 and 965 with PD from 2001 to 2006. The procedure was successfully completed in 97.3 % of the cases in the group without PD and in 99% in the other group. Transient and definitive neurological complications occurred respectively in 4.05 % and 5.5 % of stents without PD and in 3.2 % and 2.2 % of stents with PD. The cerebral complication rate was significantly diminished with the introduction of PD, permitting CAS to become a safe treatment option in carotid artery occlusive disease.