Clinical considerations in the management of asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis

2011 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. E7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Taussky ◽  
Ricardo A. Hanel ◽  
Fredric B. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Carotid Artery ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Carotid Artery Stenosis ◽  
Risk Profile ◽  
Artery Stenosis ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Asymptomatic Carotid ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis ◽  
Angioplasty And Stenting

Incidental findings pose considerable management dilemmas for the treating physician and psychological burden for the respective patient. With an aging population, more patients will be diagnosed with asymptomatic internal carotid artery stenosis. Patients will have to be counseled with regard to treatment options according to their individual risk profile and according to professionals' knowledge of evidence-based data derived from large randomized control trials. Treatment consensus has long been lacking for patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis prior to any randomized controlled trials. Additionally, an individual's risk profile may be hard to assess according to knowledge gained from randomized controlled trials. Moreover, while earlier studies compared carotid endarterectomy and medical therapy, in the past years, a new therapeutic modality, carotid artery angioplasty and stenting, has emerged as a possible alternative. This has been evaluated in a recent randomized controlled trial, the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting Trial (CREST), which compared carotid endarterectomy with angioplasty and stenting in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. The following review summarizes current knowledge of the natural history, diagnosis, and treatment strategies to counsel patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis.

Benefit of carotid endarterectomy for symptomatic and asymptomatic severe carotid artery stenosis: a Markov model based on data from randomized controlled trials

2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (5) ◽  
pp. 970-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomohito Nagaki ◽  
Koji Sato ◽  
Takaaki Yoshida ◽  
Yuhei Yoshimoto
Keyword(s):  
Carotid Artery ◽  
Markov Model ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Carotid Endarterectomy ◽  
Carotid Stenosis ◽  
Carotid Artery Stenosis ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Asymptomatic Carotid ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Comorbidity Index

Object Several major randomized controlled trials of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in patients with both symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis have addressed the net effects of CEA on the risk of stroke. However, because the risk of stroke among patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis is relatively low, whether to treat their stenosis with CEA remains an important public health issue. Methods The authors constructed a Markov model to evaluate the effectiveness of CEA. In modeling 4 health states, the probability of transition to another state was estimated using data from major randomized controlled trials. Adopting 3 comorbidity index values for baseline analyses, the authors expressed outcomes in terms of the expected number of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for a hypothetical cohort undergoing CEA and another without treatment. Results In the authors' baseline analysis, CEA for asymptomatic stenosis yielded a very small benefit (0.07 QALY) for 70-year-old, normal-risk CEA candidates. Benefits decreased further, often becoming negative, as patient age, surgical risk, or comorbidity index increased. In patients with symptomatic stenosis, CEA was always more effective than conservative management, even considering variables such as comorbidities limiting life expectancy, advanced age, and increased perioperative risk. Conclusions Carotid endarterectomy for severe carotid stenosis consistently and significantly benefits patients with recent symptoms. However, surgery for asymptomatic stenosis appears justified only in carefully selected conditions: low treatment risks in relatively young individuals without any comorbidities.

Oxidative injury associated with stenting of asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis

VASA ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 268-274
Author(s):  
Erhan Saraçoğlu ◽  
Ertan Vuruşkan ◽  
Yusuf Çekici ◽  
Salih Kiliç ◽  
Halil Ay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Carotid Artery ◽  
Oxidative Damage ◽  
Carotid Artery Stenosis ◽  
Artery Stenosis ◽  
Oxidative Stress Marker ◽  
Asymptomatic Carotid ◽  
Imaging Methods ◽  
Neurological Findings ◽  
Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis

Abstract. Background: After carotid artery stenting (CAS), neurological complications that cannot be explained with imaging methods may develop. In our study we aimed to show, using oxidative stress markers, isolated oxidative damage and resulting neurological findings following CAS in patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. Patients and methods: We included 131 neurologically asymptomatic patients requiring CAS. The neurological findings were evaluated using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) prior to the procedure, one hour post-procedure, and two days after. Patients with elevated mRS scores but with or without typical hyperintense lesions observed on an MRI and with changes of oxidative stress marker levels at the time (Δtotal-thiol, Δtotal antioxidative status [TAS], and Δtotal oxidant status [TOS]) were evaluated. Results: In the neurological examination carried out one hour prior to the procedure, there were 92 patients with mRS = 0, 20 with mRS = 1, and 12 with mRS = 2. When Δtotal-thiol, ΔTAS, and ΔTOS values and the mRS were compared, it was observed that as the difference in oxidative parameters increased, clinical deterioration also increased proportionally (p = 0.001). Conclusions: We demonstrate a possible correlation between oxidative damage and neurological findings after CAS which could not be explained by routine imaging methods.

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