Carotid artery stenting for stenosis following revascularization or cervical irradiation.

Purpose:To assess the safety and efficacy of carotid artery stenting (CAS) for stenosis following revascularization or cervical irradiation.Methods:Twenty-two CAS procedures performed on 21 patients (20 men; mean age 69.3 years, range 58–87) from June 1997 to June 2000 were retrospectively reviewed. There were 5 radiation-induced carotid stenoses in 4 patients and 17 postsurgical restenoses. The mean interval between carotid revascularization and CAS was 48.1 months (range 6–264), while the elapsed time from irradiation to CAS was always >8 years (range 8–28). Seven patients screened during this period were excluded from CAS because of a duplex-defined >50% hypoechoic lesion and/or angiographic documentation of an irregular ulcerated stenosis.Results:Four Palmaz and 16 Wallstents were successfully deployed in 20 arteries; 1 access failure prompted conversion to surgery and a stent delivery failure resulted in 1 patient receiving balloon dilation only (technical success 91%). No complications were encounte...