Effect of carotid artery stenting on the external carotid artery

OBJECTIVE: We studied the fate of the ipsilateral external carotid artery (ECA) after stenting of the internal carotid artery (ICA) compared with the contralateral ECA. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred twenty-one ipsilateral ECAs in 112 consecutive patients who underwent carotid artery Wallstent placement were prospectively studied with color-coded duplex sonographic scanning (CCDS) and compared with 83 contralateral ECAs over 2 years. CCDS was scheduled for the day before (day 0), the day after (day 1) and 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after stenting. Development of ECA occlusive disease was evaluated with ECA-common carotid artery flow ratio (peak systolic velocity). For estimation of ECA stenosis 70% or greater, flow ratio 4.1 was used as the cutoff point. RESULTS: Before and after stenting, two and three (one additional) ECA occlusions were seen. Median grade of ECA stenosis on day 1 did not significantly change at angiography (P = 1.0; tendency of increase) or CCDS (P =.27; tendency of decrease).At follow-up (day 1-24 months, CCDS only), frequency of stenosis 70% or greater in the ipsilateral ECA was 21 of 120 (17.5%) on day 1 and 41 of 107 (38.32%) at 24 months, and 3 of 107 (2.5%) and 5 of 107 (4.67%) ECA occlusions were registered at the two time points. Progression of disease, as demonstrated by increase in flow ratio over time, was much more pronounced in the ipsilateral ECAs compared with the contralateral ECAs (P =.0002).In stented ICA, 2 (1.85%) asymptomatic recurrent stenoses 70% or greater were found at CCDS.One of three patients with new ECA occlusions reported jaw claudication for 10 days. Perioperative stroke (one major, four minor) occurred in 5 of 121 patients (4.46%). Two minor strokes caused by embolization occurred during the first year. CONCLUSION: The more pronounced progression of arteriosclerotic disease at the orifice of the ipsilateral ECAs during the first year after carotid stenting might be due to local factors of the ICA stent. Its clinical significance in respect to the effect of the ECA as collateral supply to the brain might depend on the incidence of carotid stent rerecurrent stenosis, which was low in the present study.     

颈动脉内膜剥脱术和颈动脉支架的客观评述

自1954年Eastcott完成首例颈动脉内膜剥脱手术(CEA)以来,已有50多年的历史,但初期并没有得到人们的认同和接受.直至20世纪90年代初,欧美国家进行了一系列关于颈动脉狭窄治疗的前瞻性临床研究,包括对于有症状和无症状颈动脉狭窄以及中度和重度颈动脉狭窄的前瞻性临床研究,证实颈动脉内膜剥脱术是一种安全有效的方法,治疗效果优于药物治疗,可以使有症状或无症状的中、重度颈动脉狭窄患者获益,多年来一直被认为是治疗颈动脉狭窄、预防卒中的"金标准".     

颈动脉支架植入术并发症分析

目的 总结颈动脉球囊扩张及支架植入术(carotid artery stenting,CAS)治疗颈动脉狭窄术后并发症及处理措施.方法 回顾性分析2006年7月至2012年1月因颈动脉狭窄而接受颈动脉球囊扩张及支架植入术(carotid artery stenting)72例患者的临床资料.CAS操作采取标准治疗方法,患者术前5d均口服阿司匹林100 mg与氯吡格雷75 mg,所有患者均先放置远端保护装置,90％以上狭窄患者进行前扩张,残留狭窄＞30％则进行后扩张.结果 72例患者成功地植入颈动脉自膨式支架80枚,全部使用远端脑保护装置,5例患者行同期手术,其中冠状动脉搭桥手术( off-pumpcoronary artery bypass grafting,OPCABG)2例,左锁骨下动脉支架植入2例,1例肾动脉支架植入.住院期间并发症的发生率为37.5％(27例),其中严重并发症(死亡/卒中/心肌梗死)发生率为1.39％(1例同侧小卒中);其他神经系统并发症包括2例同侧TIA(2.78％),1例高灌注综合征(1.39％),血液动力学不稳定并发症的发生率为29.2％(21例),其中1例高血压(1.39％),5例心动过缓(8.33％),15例术后低血压(20.8％),其他2例出现穿刺点血肿(2.78％).结论 血液动力学改变(低血压、心动过缓)是CAS围手术期主要并发症,神经系统并发症发生率较低,严重并发症少见.     

Acute carotid artery stenting in symptomatic high-grade cervical carotid artery stenosis

The safety and efficacy of emergency carotid artery stenting (CAS) for patients with acute ischemic stroke resulting from internal carotid artery stenosis are not established. In this retrospective study, we evaluated outcomes for CAS performed within 2 weeks of acute ischemic stroke for 16 patients treated between December 2009 and February 2014. Cases of internal carotid artery occlusion, internal carotid dissection, or intracranial major arterial trunk occlusion were excluded. Five patients were treated with CAS during the hyperacute phase (within 24 h of stroke onset), three in the advanced phase (within 24 h of stroke-in-evolution after admission), and eight in the acute phase (24 h to 2 weeks after onset). We evaluated modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores 90 days after CAS. For patients treated during the hyperacute phase without intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (IV-tPA), two had mRS scores of 2 and one had a score of 3. Two patients treated in the hyperacute phase with IV-tPA had scores of 5: one with symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and the other with acute brain swelling. For patients treated in the advanced phase, mRS scores were 1, 3, and 5; the patient with 5 had contralateral cerebral infarction. All patients treated in the acute phase had scores of 2 or lower. Patients treated with IV-tPA in advanced or acute phases had no severe post-CAS complications. CAS was effective and safe for treating ischemic stroke within 2 weeks of onset. However, IV-tPA treatment may be a risk factor for CAS treatment during the hyperacute phase.     

Internal carotid artery reconstruction with transposition of external carotid artery in carotid body tumor resection

The current treatment of Shamblin's class III carotid body tumors includes a variety of reconstructive techniques for the internal carotid artery, ranging from angioplasty to the use of various grafts such as autologous saphenous vein or synthetic shunts. We present the case of a 56-year-old female patient with a carotid body tumor. The diagnosis and therapeutic approach is discussed, as well as the surgical technique and postoperative outcome. In those cases where the carotid body tumor involves the internal carotid artery to the point that its sacrifice is imminent and synthetic grafts are not available, reconstruction of the internal carotid artery with transposition of the external carotid artery is recommended.     

Traumatic carotid cavernous fistula with bilateral carotid artery and vertebral artery dissections

Summary Carotid and vertebral artery dissections from blunt cervical trauma are uncommon injuries that in recent years are becoming increasingly recognized as a result of angiographic screening protocols in trauma patients. Traumatic carotid cavernous fistulas are even less common events, but represent the most common intracranial vascular anomaly after head injury. The present report details the unique case of a woman with no history of collagen vascular disease who developed dissections of both carotid and both vertebral arteries, as well as a direct carotid cavernous fistula, after a motor vehicle collision. Her vascular injuries resolved without need for surgical or endovascular intervention.     

Economic evaluation of carotid artery stenting versus carotid endarterectomy for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis

BACKGROUND: The clinical effectiveness of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is well established. But the economic impact of CEA and carotid artery stenting (CAS) is still uncertain. The objective of this study was to compare hospital costs and reimbursement for CAS and CEA. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective database analysis on pair-matched patients who underwent CEA (n = 31) and CAS (n = 31) at the Richard M Ross Heart Hospital in Columbus, OH. The hospital's clinical and financial databases were used to obtain patient-specific information and procedural charges. Cost data were generated by applying the hospital's ratio of cost to charges for all DRG charges. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to examine the differences between costs of these procedures. RESULTS: Data are reported as mean +/- SD. The mean age of patients in CAS group was 70.14 years (+/- 1.60 years) versus 68.64 years (+/- 1.75 years) for CEA patients (p < 0.05). The total direct cost associated with CEA ($3,765.12+/-$2,170.82) was significantly lower than the CAS cost ($8,219.71+/-$2,958.55, p < 0.001). The mean procedural cost for CAS ($7,543.61+/-$2,886.54) was significantly higher than that for CEA ($2,720.00+/-$926.38, p < 0.001). The hospital experienced cost savings of $9,690.87 for CEA versus $4,804.79 for CAS from private insurance. Similarly, savings obtained by Medicare-enrolled CEA patients were higher than those for CAS patients ($1,497.79). CONCLUSIONS: CAS is significantly more expensive than CEA, with a major portion of cost attributed to the total procedural cost. The hospital experienced significant savings from CEA procedures compared with CAS under all DRG classifications and insurers. Hospitals must develop new financial strategies and improve the efficiency of infrastructure to make CAS financially viable.     

Extracranial carotid artery aneurysms

Aneurysms of the extracranial carotid arteries are uncommon vascular lesions. During the period 1976 to 1986 we encountered 18 extracranial carotid aneurysms in 14 patients. The aneurysms were atherosclerotic (12 in 9 patients), congenital (3 in 2 patients), mycotic (1) and secondary (false aneurysms) after previous carotid surgery (2 in 2 patients). The patients presented with neurological symptoms (11) or a pulsating mass in the neck (2). In one patient the aneurysm was detected accidentally during angiography. From this study it became clear that "carotid aneurysm" is not a well defined entity. The "normal" configuration of the carotid bulb with its usually larger diameter, is in part a cause of the problem of definition. A recently described technique for predicting normal vessel diameters in stenosing lesions of the carotid arteries was retrospectively applied to all our patients with aneurysms. With these measurements, made on standard preoperative angiograms, it was possible to quantify the degree of dilatation, and confirm the diagnosis of aneurysm. Eleven of the 14 patients were operated on without mortality, no neurological deficits were seen as a result of the operation and minimal morbidity occurred in six patients. From this study we conclude that surgical correction of accessible carotid artery aneurysms is a relatively safe procedure and these lesions should be operated on irrespective of symptoms. This is the first report that gives clear guidelines for measuring dilatation of the extracranial carotid arteries and based on these guidelines we suggest criteria for the discrimination between physiological dilatation and pathological aneurysm formation, the latter condition being an indication for operation.     

Spontaneous carotid artery aneurysms

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous carotid artery aneurysms are infrequently reported, and are almost always non-atherosclerotic. METHODS: The records of 29 patients with a spontaneous carotid aneurysm treated in an academic vascular unit between 1990 and 1998 were reviewed. RESULTS: All 29 patients were black South Africans; three had bilateral aneurysms. There were 24 men and five women, of mean age 35 (range 13-62) years. Some 25 aneurysms involved the common carotid artery, 12 of which affected the bifurcation, and seven were located in the internal carotid artery. Twenty-five aneurysms were managed surgically, four of which were ligated owing to sepsis. Histo- logical evaluation showed human immunodeficiency virus-related arteritis in four, tuberculous aneurysms in ten, Takayasu's arteritis in two, atherosclerosis in three and non-specific chronic inflammation in four patients. Microbiological examination was negative in all but one patient who had Salmonella sp. cultured. Outcome was generally favourable, but one patient died from massive hemispheric infarction. There were no other new neurological deficits. CONCLUSION: Carotid aneurysms pose a considerable surgical challenge but are amenable to operative intervention with good result. Ligation appears to be well tolerated in this group of predominantly non-atherosclerotic aneurysms.     

Atherosclerotic carotid artery occlusion

Opinion statement Patients with acute stroke caused by atherosclerotic carotid artery occlusion (ACAO) should receive intravenous tissue plasminogen activator if they meet eligibility criteria. Patients with acute stroke caused by ACAO who are not eligible for intravenous tissue plasminogen activator should receive aspirin. Heparin or heparin-like drugs do not improve outcome and should not be used. Therapy for prevention of recurrent stroke in patients with ACAO should consist of lifestyle modifications, risk factor intervention, and aspirin. Other antiplatelet drugs should be considered in patients with contraindication to aspirin. Warfarin is not indicated. Extracranial-intracranial bypass surgery provides no benefit over medical therapy in preventing recurrent stroke in a general population of patients with ACAO or in any subgroups selected by clinical or arteriographic criteria. Extracranial-intracranial bypass surgery in patients selected by hemodynamic criteria should only be performed as part of a randomized controlled clinical trial. Other surgical or endovascular procedures have no proven value in treating or preventing stroke caused by ACAO. Asymptomatic carotid occlusion has a benign prognosis, and requires no specific treatment other than lifestyle modification and risk factor intervention.     

Internal carotid artery epistaxis

Epistaxis from the internal carotid artery (ICA) or bleeding from the ICA at the skull base is a rare, frightening, and difficult management problem. We present five cases, with a variety of causes--in all of which the patients survived massive hemorrhage--and suggest a protocol for management of the condition.     

Extracranial carotid artery aneurysms

Carotid artery aneurysms are an uncommon but important problem. Untreated, these aneurysms lead to neurologic symptoms from embolization. Although open surgery has been the primary mode of treatment, these aneurysms are being treated more commonly with endovascular approaches. This article describes a case of aneurysms of the carotid artery and discusses etiology, diagnostic modalities, and treatment.     

External carotid endarterectomy with internal carotid artery transposition flap angioplasty for symptomatic internal carotid artery occlusion

The external carotid artery is an important collateral pathway for cerebral perfusion when the internal carotid artery is occluded. After internal carotid artery occlusion, there is a definite risk of ipsilateral neurological events. The authors retrospectively examined their experience with endarterectomy of the external carotid artery for symptomatic internal carotid artery occlusion. Results based on the authors' experience and on historical data show external carotid endarterectomy to be a safe procedure. Obliteration of the cul-de-sac appears to be a very important factor in the prevention of reocclusion or recurrence of symptoms after external carotid endarterectomy. Use of the internal carotid artery stump for patching of the endarterectomized external carotid artery is both safe and effective in treating symptomatic internal carotid artery occlusion.     

颈动脉狭窄·内膜切除（CEA）·腔内成形（CAS）

有关颈动脉狭窄的治疗，前次争论出现在对颈动脉内膜切除术（carotidendarterectomy，CEA）效果的评价上，通过NASCET、ECSTC和ACAS几项多中心大规模的临床试验，CEA被证实能有效降低缺血性脑卒中的发生率，使CEA得以发展。随着颈动脉腔内支架成形术（carotidarterystenting，CAS）的应用，现在又到了是采用CEA还是采用CAS评价两种方法的重要时期，虽谈不上取舍，但也会有优劣，尽管在不同方面表现不同。我们回顾了国内外不同观点，结合我们的临床经验谈几点看法。     

Mycotic carotid artery aneurysm

A painful, pulsatile neck mass with associated fever should suggest the presence of a mycotic carotid artery aneurysm. Diagnosis can be confirmed from angiograms. Broad spectrum antibiotics are indicated, and an operation should be performed promptly. The lack of tissue planes uninvolved by infection will almost always prevent vascular reconstruction. Carotid artery ligation with excision of the aneurysms is recommended.