CAROTID ARTERY STENTING UPDATE 

The Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery 2011 December;52(6):779-93

Copyright © 2011 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Carotid stents: which is the best option?

Nikas D. N. ¹, Kompara G. ², Reimers B. ² ✉

¹ Heart and Vascular Catheterization Laboratory, Ioannina Public Hospital, Ioannina, Greece; ² Cardiovascular Catheterization Laboratory, Mirano Public Hospital, Mirano, Venice, Italy

Nowadays, carotid artery stenting (CAS) offers a potential alternative to carotid endarterectomy (CEA). CAS main advantages over CEA are the less invasive approach and the almost equal performance to CEA in terms of stroke prevention and complications. One of the most important factors which played significant role to CAS evolution is the progress in design of modern materials, especially stents. Today, several types of dedicated carotid stents have specific mechanical properties, which provide stents with individual characteristics making each of them suitable for specific carotid lesions and anatomies. The present review analyses the specific design and construction of modern stents, trying to point out their particular mechanical properties and characteristics. Additionally, it presents all available data published on comparison between different stent designs with the intention to identify which carotid stent is the best option for particular patient and lesion characteristics.