Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and risks of endovascular treatment of carotid stenosis by percutaneous angioplasty and stenting, and to point out the potential indications of this technique compared to surgery.
Material and methods: From June 1996 to May 2000 we performed 84 endovascular treatments of epiaortic vessels in 79 patients with age ranging from 42 to 80. Sixty-eight symptomatic carotid stenosis greater than 70% were treated in 63 patients: 28 (41%) were post-surgical restenosis of the carotid bifurcation after carotid endarterectomy and 40 (59%) were primitive carotid stenosis. In 14 cases (20%) there was occlusion of the contralateral internal carotid artery. All the procedures were performed in the angiographic suite, with local groin anesthesia and with femoral arterial approach. Angioplasty alone was done in 9 cases (13%) while stents were positioned in 59 cases (87%). The stenoses were pre-dilated in 57% of the procedures, and post-dilated in 61%. In 8 patients (12%) the endovascular treatment was performed during distal cerebral protection. During the follow-up period patients underwent echo-Doppler studies after 24 hours, at 6 and 12 months.
Results and discussion: The stenotic tracts were successfully dilated in all the patients, with a residual stenosis less than 30% in 94% of cases. We didn't observe any complication in the 30 days post-operative period. One permanent neurological deficit (1.5 %) and 1 transient neurological deficit (1.5%) were observed in 2 patients within 1 hour after treatment. Other 2 patients complained a transient ortostatic hypotension. Combined major stroke and death rates was of 1,5% after 30 days post-operative follow-up. The presence of associated occlusion of the contralateral internal carotid and the presence of cardiological failure or pulmonary insufficiency has not influenced the outcome. No new clinical complication has been reported during the follow-up while the restenosis rate after the endovascular procedure is 1.5%. Our results with the endovascular treatment of the carotid stenosis appear not significantly different from those reported by the main surgical publications and trails about the carotid endarterectomy. In particular in our experience the complication rate is similar to surgery, probably due to our patient selection and to the evolution of the materials for endovascular therapy.
Conclusions: Our experience points out an improvement of the efficacy and safety of the endovascular technique. We confirm the indication of the angioplasty and stenting in post-surgical restenosis and in patients with high surgical risk. Moreover we think that the endovascular treatment can be performed also in primitive carotid stenosis with acceptable complication risk.