Carotid artery stenting in octogenarians: Clinical observation and follow-up

Objective To observe the safety and long-term efficacy of carotid artery stenting(CAS)in octogenarians with carotid stenosis. Methods Clinical data of patients aged 80 years or older undergoing CAS for carotid stenosis in our hospital between July 2008 and October 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.The perioperative treatment outcomes and mid- and long-term follow-up results were analyzed. Results A consecutive series of 61 patients(a median age of 81 years, 54 males)were enrolled.Of 61 patients, 23(37.7%)patients had symptomatic carotid artery stenosis.Sixty patients underwent unilateral CAS, one patient underwent bilateral CAS, and 26(42.6%)underwent other cerebrovascular interventional therapy during the same period.The technical success rate was 100.0%.During the perioperative period, the incidence of stroke was 6.6%(4/61), and no patient died.Eight(13.1%)patients had contrast-induced nephropathy, 4(6.6%)patients suffered from cardiac dysfunction, and 30(49.2%)patients had hypotension requiring vasopressor support postoperatively, and all of them recovered well when discharged from hospital.All patients were followed up for a median of 42 months(range 2-108 months, with an interquartile interval of 44 months). The incidence of stroke and death was 8.2%(5/61)within 30 days to 1 year after surgery.The median stroke-free survival was 72 months in patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis, and was 93 months in asymptomatic patients, with the statistically significant difference between the two groups(χ2=4.258, P=0.039). Conclusions Carotid artery stent implantation in octogenarians with carotid stenosis has a favorable safety and feasibility when performed in experienced centers, and the outcome of a mid- and long-term follow-up is good. Key words: Carotid stenosis; Stents; Stroke