Carotid angioplasty and stenting

Abstract

CAS is a well-established therapy for the carotid artery disease with a very low rate of complications when performed by experimented operators. In this chapter we describe step by step the technique of carotid artery stenting (CAS), either with the use of cerebral protection devices or without them. Also, we show the experience of our group in CAS without the use of cerebral protection or balloon dilatation and discuss the benefits of this technique from our point of view. Previously we summarize the status of major trials and registries comparing CAS with carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and highlight the relevance of the new MRI and CT techniques in the identification of high-risk atheromatous plaques which can increase the risk of distal embolization and stroke.