surgery due to medical comorbidities (e.g., severe heart or lung disease) or surgical-anatomic factors (e.g., previous surgery or radiation to the neck) and are considered as "high-risk for CEA." In this group of subjects, carotid artery stenting (CAS) is an alternative to CEA for stroke prevention. In this chapter, we shall review the current data pertaining to CEA and CAS for stroke prevention.
CARoTID ENDARTERECToMY FoR SYMPToMATIC CARoTID STENoSISBefore 1990, CEA had been used as a tool for stroke prevention for many decades without much certainty regarding its benefits. After 2 relatively unsuccessful attempts for a definitive answer to the clinical question of CEA's value, [1,2] two large-scale randomized studies -the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET), [3] and the European Carotid Surgery Trial (ECST) [4] -were launched in the 1980s. A third randomized study, the Veterans Affairs Co-operative Study, [5] was stopped early for ethical reasons after the NASCET and the ECST reported a clear benefit in the surgically treated patients.
High-grade symptomatic ICA stenosisThe NASCET and the ECST were pivotal studies that evaluated CEA in comparison with best, prevalent medical therapy for prevention of ischemic stroke in patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis. Patients with ICA stenosis determined by angiography, and previous TIA, non-disabling ischemic stroke in the
INTRoDUCTIoNPatients with anterior circulation ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) should be screened for internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis. Large vessel atherosclerotic disease accounts for about 20% of all ischemic stroke patients of which about half are due to extra cranial carotid artery stenosis. Patients with hemodynamically significant carotid stenosis should be considered for carotid revascularization, either the well-established surgical procedure of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) or carotid stenting.For patients who have experienced recent carotid territory symptoms, CEA can be very effective in decreasing the long-term stroke risk, if there is moderate to severe stenosis. Many patients without recent carotid territory symptoms (asymptomatic stenosis) also undergo CEA, although, the benefit is less certain for this group of patients. With advances in medical therapy, the benefits of carotid revascularization for asymptomatic carotid stenosis have come under further scrutiny. Some patients with carotid stenosis are not ideal candidates for
A B s T R A C TExtra cranial carotid artery stenosis is an important cause of stroke, which often needs treatment with carotid revascularization. To prevent stroke recurrence, carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has been well-established for several decades for symptomatic high and moderate grade stenosis. Carotid stenting is a less invasive alternative to CEA and several recent trials have compared the efficacy of the 2 procedures in patients with carotid stenosis. Carotid artery stenting has emerged as a potential mode of therapy for high surgical risk pat...