Safety, efficacy, and durability of carotid artery stenting for restenosisfollowing carotid endarterectomy: A multicenter study

Purpose: To present the results of a multicenter registry established to co llect data on carotid stent procedures in patients with restenosis followin g carotid endarterectomy. Methods: The procedural details, outcomes, and late follow-up results were collected from 14 centers in the United States. Thirty-day and late stroke and death rates were analyzed. Results: Three hundred and thirty-eight patients (201 men; 71 +/- 8 years) underwent carotid stenting in 358 arteries. The average duration from carot id endarterectomy was 5.5 +/- 7.3 years. Sixty-one percent of the patients were asymptomatic. The overall 30-day stroke and death rate was 3.7%. The m inor stroke rate was 1.7% (6/358), and the major nonfatal stroke rate was 0 .8% (3/358). The fatal stroke rate was 0.3% (1/358), and the nonstroke-rela ted death rate was 0.9% (3/338). There was 1 (0.3%) fatal and 1 (0.3%) nonf atal stroke during the follow-up period. The overall 3-year rate of freedom from all fatal and nonfatal strokes was 96% +/- 1% (+/-SE). Conclusions: Carotid artery stenting can be performed in patients with rest enosis following carotid endarterectomy with 30-day complication rates comp arable to those of most published studies on repeat carotid endarterectomy. Results of late follow-up suggest that this technique is durable and effic acious.