A LATE COMPLICATION OF INTERNAL CAROTID-ARTERY STENTING

Carotid angioplasty and stenting is gaining in popularity as an altern ative to carotid endarterectomy for the treatment of symptomatic criti cal stenoses of the internal carotid artery. However, the durability o f this technique and the incidence of recurrent stenoses has not yet b een fully evaluated. It has been reported that mechanical factors may cause deformity of a Palmaz stent, negating the initial benefits of th e procedure. We describe successful carotid endarterectomy after disto rtion of a Strecker balloon-expandable stent.