Selection of Treatment for Patients with Carotid Artery Disease: Medication, Carotid Endarterectomy, or Carotid Artery Stenting

Patients presenting with atherosclerosis of the extracranial carotid arteries may be offered carotid endarterectomy (CEA), carotid artery stenting (CAS), or medical therapy to reduce their risk of stroke. In many cases, the choice between treatment modalities remains controversial. An algorithm based on patients' neurologic symptoms, comorbidities, limiting factors for CAS and CEA, and personal preferences was developed to determine the optimal treatment in each case. This algorithm was then employed to determine therapy in 308 consecutive patients presenting to a single institution during one calendar year. Ninety-five (30.8%) patients presented with an asymptomatic carotid stenosis of more than 80% and 213 (69.2%) with a symptomatic stenosis of more than 50%. According to our algorithm, 59 (62.1%) of the 95 asymptomatic patients received CAS, 20 (21.1%) received CEA, and 16 (16.8%) received medical therapy. All symptomatic patients underwent intervention; 153 (71.8%) were treated with CAS and 60 (28.2%) with CEA. Combined 30-day stroke and death rates after CAS were 1.7% in asymptomatic patients and 2.6% in symptomatic patients. After CEA, these rates were 0% and 3.3%, respectively. Careful selection of treatment modality according to predetermined criteria can result in improved outcomes.

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Transcarotid Artery Revascularization and Advances in Vascular Surgery for Carotid Artery Disease

Surgical Technology Online ◽

10.52198/21.sti.39.cv1484 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

James Hu ◽

◽

Andy Sohn ◽

Justin George ◽

Rajesh Malik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carotid Artery ◽

Vascular Surgery ◽

Carotid Endarterectomy ◽

Surgical Management ◽

Carotid Artery Stenosis ◽

Carotid Artery Stenting ◽

Carotid Artery Disease ◽

Artery Stenosis ◽

Cerebrovascular Accidents ◽

Artery Disease

Carotid artery atherosclerotic disease impacts over 2 million Americans annually. Since the advent of the carotid endarterectomy by Debakey in 1953, the surgical management of carotid artery stenosis has prevented cerebrovascular accidents. The technology utilized to manage carotid artery stenosis continued to evolve with the utilization of carotid artery stenting in 1989 and more recently transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR). This review discusses the modern management of carotid artery stenosis with an emphasis on transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) and reversal of flow for reversal of flow for embolic protection.

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Treating symptomatic carotid artery disease: deciding between carotid artery stenting and carotid endarterectomy – balancing the risks

Interventional Cardiology ◽

10.2217/ica.10.105 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 5-7

Author(s):

Sripal Bangalore

Keyword(s):

Carotid Artery ◽

Carotid Endarterectomy ◽

Carotid Artery Stenting ◽

Carotid Artery Disease ◽

Symptomatic Carotid ◽

Artery Disease

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Carotid Endarterectomy Versus Carotid Artery Stenting: Survey of the Quality, Readability, and Treatment Preference of Carotid Artery Disease Websites (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.23519 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shira Strauss ◽

Michael Yacob ◽

Apoorva Bhandari ◽

Prasad Jetty

Keyword(s):

Carotid Artery ◽

Carotid Endarterectomy ◽

Carotid Artery Stenting ◽

Carotid Artery Disease ◽

Treatment Preference ◽

Publication Date ◽

Government Organizations ◽

Medical Societies ◽

Artery Disease ◽

Google Search

BACKGROUND The internet is becoming increasingly more important in the new era of patient self-education. Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) are recognized interventions to treat patients with carotid artery stenosis. Using the Google search platform, patients encounter many websites with conflicting information, which are sometimes difficult to understand. This lack of accessibility creates uncertainty or bias toward interventions for carotid artery disease. The quality, readability, and treatment preference of carotid artery disease (CAD) websites have not yet been evaluated. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the quality, readability, and treatment preference of CAD websites. METHODS We searched Google Canada for 10 CAD-related keywords. Returned links were assessed for publication date, medical specialty and industry affiliation, presence of randomized controlled trial data, differentiation by symptomatic status, and favored treatment. Website quality and readability were rated by the DISCERN instrument and Gunning Fog Index. RESULTS We identified 54 unique sites: 18 (33.3%) by medical societies or individual physicians, 11 (20.4%) by government organizations, 9 (16.7%) by laypersons, and 1 (1.9%) that was industry-sponsored. Of these sites, 26 (48.1%) distinguished symptomatic from asymptomatic CAD. A majority of sites overall (57.4%) and vascular-affiliated (72.7%) favored CEA. In contrast, radiology- and cardiology-affiliated sites demonstrated the highest proportion of sites favoring CAS, though they were equally likely to favor CEA. A large proportion (21/54, 38.9%) of sites received poor quality ratings (total DISCERN score <48), and the majority (41/54, 75.9%) required a reading level greater than a high school senior. CONCLUSIONS CAD websites are often produced by government organizations, medical societies, or physicians, especially vascular surgeons. Sites ranged in quality, readability, and differentiation by symptomatic status. Google searches of CAD-related terms are more likely to yield sites favoring CEA. Future research should determine the extent of website influence on CAD patients’ treatment decisions. CLINICALTRIAL

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Carotid Endarterectomy Versus Carotid Artery Stenting: Survey of the Quality, Readability, and Treatment Preference of Carotid Artery Disease Websites

Interactive Journal of Medical Research ◽

10.2196/23519 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. e23519

Author(s):

Shira Strauss ◽

Michael Yacob ◽

Apoorva Bhandari ◽

Prasad Jetty

Keyword(s):

Carotid Artery ◽

Carotid Endarterectomy ◽

Carotid Artery Stenting ◽

Carotid Artery Disease ◽

Treatment Preference ◽

Publication Date ◽

Government Organizations ◽

Medical Societies ◽

Artery Disease ◽

Google Search

Background The internet is becoming increasingly more important in the new era of patient self-education. Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) are recognized interventions to treat patients with carotid artery stenosis. Using the Google search platform, patients encounter many websites with conflicting information, which are sometimes difficult to understand. This lack of accessibility creates uncertainty or bias toward interventions for carotid artery disease. The quality, readability, and treatment preference of carotid artery disease (CAD) websites have not yet been evaluated. Objective This study aimed to explore the quality, readability, and treatment preference of CAD websites. Methods We searched Google Canada for 10 CAD-related keywords. Returned links were assessed for publication date, medical specialty and industry affiliation, presence of randomized controlled trial data, differentiation by symptomatic status, and favored treatment. Website quality and readability were rated by the DISCERN instrument and Gunning Fog Index. Results We identified 54 unique sites: 18 (33.3%) by medical societies or individual physicians, 11 (20.4%) by government organizations, 9 (16.7%) by laypersons, and 1 (1.9%) that was industry-sponsored. Of these sites, 26 (48.1%) distinguished symptomatic from asymptomatic CAD. A majority of sites overall (57.4%) and vascular-affiliated (72.7%) favored CEA. In contrast, radiology- and cardiology-affiliated sites demonstrated the highest proportion of sites favoring CAS, though they were equally likely to favor CEA. A large proportion (21/54, 38.9%) of sites received poor quality ratings (total DISCERN score <48), and the majority (41/54, 75.9%) required a reading level greater than a high school senior. Conclusions CAD websites are often produced by government organizations, medical societies, or physicians, especially vascular surgeons. Sites ranged in quality, readability, and differentiation by symptomatic status. Google searches of CAD-related terms are more likely to yield sites favoring CEA. Future research should determine the extent of website influence on CAD patients’ treatment decisions.

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