Angioplasty and stenting for carotid atherosclerotic disease

Based on current available data, carotid endarterectomy remains the procedu re of choice for stroke risk reduction at the cervical carotid bifurcation, provided that certain inclusion and exclusion criteria are met. There exis ts, however, a group of patients who do not fulfill criteria related to the various studies for carotid occlusive disease, and these patients may be c andidates for other procedures to achieve stroke risk reduction such as car otid angioplasty and stenting. This article provides a brief history of ang ioplasty percutaneous revascularization and discusses patient selection, me thodology, and clinical results of carotid angioplasty and stenting.