ABSTRACT
The prevention of stroke in patients with carotid pathology has been traditionally
carried out with either medications that prevent clot formation (i.e., warfarin or
antiplatelet agents) or revascularization of stenotic segments of the artery by surgical
means (i.e., carotid endarterectomy). Recently, the use of percutaneous endovascular
techniques, to treat lesions of the carotid artery has become increasingly popular.
The most important techniques being used for this purpose are balloon angioplasty
and stenting. Although still under intense investigation, it is already clear that
endovascular therapy of the carotid artery is effective in the correction of lesions
not readily accessible by surgery, those due to recurrent stenosis after endarterectomy,
those not of an atherosclerotic nature, and those with unusually high surgical morbidity
and mortality. The role of endovascular therapy in the treatment of type A lesions,
which are perfect for endarterectomy, awaits the completion of prospective randomized
trials. However, care must be exercised in the planning of these trials to allow a
fair testing of the endovascular procedures
Keywords
Carotid balloon angioplasty - stenting - endovascular therapy
