Ismail A Khatri, Sara Qayyum, Ammar Alkawi, Jawad F Kirmani.
Carotid artery stenting - where do we stand?.
Pak J Neurological Sci Jan ;2(1):18-24.

In the past few years, the use of carotid artery stenting (CAS) for the treatment of extracranial carotid occlusive disease has increased exponentially. It is perceived to be a safer and effective alternative to carotid endarterectomy (CEA). There is an extensive wealth of data on carotid endarterectomy, which is one of the most thoroughly studied and extensively performed vascular surgical procedures. Data available on CAS is still limited. Ongoing randomized trials comparing the two procedures are facing difficulties in patient recruitment because of large numbers of registries and extensive use of CAS. Proponents of CAS believe that stenting will become the default first-line therapy for patients with extra-cranial carotid occlusive disease. Opponents of CAS point to the lack of evidence from randomized, controlled studies, and favor CEA over carotid artery stenting by citing the extensive experience and well-established role of CEA. With many stakeholders involved in the care of patients with carotid artery disease and the rapidly growing popularity of the procedure, there is concern that trials attempting to answer this question may remain incomplete. This review discusses the history and evolution of carotid artery stenting, the method, the variety of stents used, the use of antiplatelet agents, and the available data on safety and efficacy. This is a review article.

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