Inflammation, as assessed by 18F-FDG-PET uptake and histology, is increased in plaques containing high-risk morphological (HRM) features and rises with increasing number of HRM, according to a study in the January issue of
Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. Study authors suggested that data support the concept that inflammation accumulates relative to the burden of morphological abnormalities.
The FDA’s decision to expand coronary artery stenting (CAS) indications to include patients both at high risk and standard risk of stroke has increased the use of CAS to treat carotid stenosis. An editorial published Nov. 14 in Archives of Internal Medicine questioned the increased use of CAS, particularly due to the rather inconclusive data, and concluded that CAS should get a “less is more” designation for asymptomatic patients because of the “definite harms and unclear benefits.”
SAN FRANCISCO—Using a proximal balloon protection device significantly decreased cerebral embolization during carotid artery stenting (CAS) procedures compared with filter protection devices, according to the results of the PROFI trial presented Nov. 11 at the 23rd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference.
Elderly patients treated with carotid artery stenting (CAS) faced a higher risk of stroke with increasing age compared with patients treated with carotid endarterectomy (CEA), according to a study published Oct. 6 in the online issue of Stroke. Based on the results, the authors recommend physicians take patient age into consideration when choosing a treatment for carotid stenosis.
Endovascular surgical techniques may outshine conventional open methods, according to a Frost & Sullivan analysis, “Endovascular Surgical Intervention—Technology Market Penetration Analysis.” The analysis outlined how intravascular balloons, stents and coils for varied endo procedures have become the wave of the future and have provided alternatives to CABG, carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and aneurysm clipping procedures.
A pair of visual ultrasound markers may help physicians better determine which patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis face a higher stroke risk, and better determine which patients might benefit from carotid endarterectomy (CEA), according to a study published online Aug. 17 in Neurology.
As indications for carotid artery stenting (CAS) continue to change and its use grows, the procedure is being performed by operators from many diverse specialties, Michigan researchers found in a study published online Aug. 8 in
Archives of Internal Medicine. Additionally, hospital referral regions where cardiologists perform the most procedures have higher population-based utilization rates with similar outcomes.
A virtual elastic sphere processing tool offers a quantifiable, reproducible mechanism to measure vessel stenosis on CT angiography and MR angiography datasets, according to a study published online July 25 in Radiology.
An analysis of randomized trials that evaluated outcomes of carotid artery stenting (CAS) and carotid endarterectomy (CEA) revealed several differences in ascertainment of MI and operator experience between studies that took place in the U.S. and Europe. William A. Gray, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, said that these differences may explain the worse outcomes seen in European studies and that these results “provide a cautionary perspective regarding studying early phase technology before it has had a chance to fully evolve.
The groundbreaking CREST trial resulted in an expansion of carotid artery stenting (CAS) to patients at standard risk for adverse events during surgery. While the results were mostly positive, there was a higher risk of stroke after CAS and a higher risk of MI after carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Researchers have now reported that both MI and biomarker+ were more common with CEA and although these levels were modest, these events were independently associated with increased mortality, according to a substudy of the CREST trial published June 21 in Circulation.
While it comes as no surprise that hospital outcomes have improved over the last decade due to innovations in technologies and performance-based initiatives, outcomes across U.S. hospitals still vary. A study focused on high-risk surgeries, such as cardiovascular (CV) surgery, found that hospitals still need work and should be better focused on quality-care initiatives to further improve patient survival, according to research published June 1 in the
New England Journal of Medicine.
