Carotid artery stenting in patients with near occlusion: a single-center experience and comparison with recent studies.

OBJECTIVE: The optimal management strategy for carotid artery near occlusion is still controversial. Nevertheless, prior studies about carotid artery stenting in patients with near occlusion reported both technically and clinically inspiring results. To define the effectiveness, safety, and clinical outcomes of carotid artery stenting in patients with near occlusion, we analyzed our experiences and compared with recent studies. METHODS: We performed 24 carotid artery stenting procedures in 24 patients with near occlusion between January 2010 and July 2012. The patient group comprised 20 men (83.3%) and four women (16.7%) with a mean age of 69.5 years (range, 53-85 years). Eighteen patients had prior stroke or transient ischemic attack (75%), and six patients were asymptomatic (25%). RESULTS: Successful stent insertion was achieved in 23 of 24 patients (95.8%). Cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome and post-procedural vascular events occurred in four patients, and all of these developed within 24h after the procedure (17.4%; two: hyperperfusion syndrome, two: acute myocardial infarction). The mean follow-up period after carotid artery stenting was 16.7±9.2 months (range, 6-32 months). No stroke related to carotid artery stenting or significant restenosis of the inserted stent developed during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Carotid artery stenting in patients with near occlusion seems to be a technically feasible and effective method to prevent stroke recurrence. But hyperperfusion syndrome and post-procedural vascular event rates may be high, as shown in this study.