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Objective: Endovascular treatment has largely replaced open reconstruction of proximal brachiocephalic and left common carotid ostial arterial stenoses. The objective of this study was to report the technical feasibility and safety of a flow-based embolic protection system in stenting of single and tandem stenotic lesions of supra-aortic arch vessels., Methods: All cases used flow-based neuroprotection by the ENROUTE Transcarotid Neuroprotection System (Silk Road Medical, Sunnyvale, Calif). Case specifics, such as the stents used, the details of flow-based neuroprotection, the order in which lesions were treated, and the case-specific exceptions, are detailed in the body of the publication. The primary end point of this study was the occurrence of stroke or transient ischemic attack., Results: Sixteen patients (12 women) with an average age of 68 years (range, 54-83 years) underwent endovascular stenting to treat single (11 patients) or tandem (5 patients) stenotic lesions of supra-aortic arch vessels. A total of 21 lesions were treated: 7 in the innominate artery, 1 in the right common carotid artery, 8 in the left common carotid artery, and 5 in the internal carotid artery (tandem cases). Eleven patients (69%) were symptomatic, and the stenoses of the five asymptomatic patients were identified during routine workup for comorbidities. Technical success was obtained in all cases. There were no strokes or transient ischemic attacks during the 30 days after the procedure. Minor complications included a minor wound dehiscence that healed secondarily without sequelae and a hematoma at the neck incision that resolved spontaneously without further intervention., Conclusions: The use of a transcarotid retrograde approach with flow-based neuroprotection is technically feasible for the endovascular stenting of single and tandem stenotic lesions of the supra-aortic arch vessels. These data further support the advantages of a transcarotid approach and flow-based neuroprotection to minimize the risk of intraoperative complications and embolic events during and after the procedure., (Copyright © 2019 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is the leading cause of premature mortality and morbidity worldwide for both men and women. Extracranial carotid artery stenosis/occlusion is responsible for approximately 11.5% of ischemic strokes, whereas extracranial large vessel disease comprises roughly 16.6% of ischemic strokes. Carotid artery disease has been the source of significant debate among neurovascular and cardiovascular specialists, as well as vascular surgeons, as to the best method of revascularization, surgical reconstruction versus endovascular recanalization. There are different treatment modalities and techniques related to AIS and extracranial carotid artery disease based on the different etiologies, and these include acute internal carotid artery occlusion (thrombectomy versus carotid stenting/angioplasty), tandem occlusions (stenting and thrombectomy), and non-emergent carotid stenting/angioplasty for chronic internal carotid artery stenosis. The continuing development of new endovascular technology has led to a major shift in treatment to a minimally invasive endovascular approach. Distal filter devices, proximal protection devices, balloon-guided catheters, open- or closed-cell stents, and flow-reversal stenting are some of the technologies that are now available. The latest treatment techniques, indications, and studies are discussed in this review.

Background: Carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) is considered desirable treatment for patients at high risk for carotid endarterectomy. Despite a growing elderly population, scant data exist on CAS in nonagenarians. Nonagenarians represent a high risk population for open and endovascular interventions due to unique anatomic and physiologic characteristics presenting significant challenges to anesthesiologists and surgeons. Studies have quantified that symptomatic and asymptomatic patients should survive 2 and 5 years, respectively, to gain benefit from revascularization; thus doubt exists on the value of CAS in nonagenarian patients because of their extreme age and unique risk factors. We therefore evaluated CAS safety and efficacy in our hospital's nonagenarian population., Methods: CAS cases performed in patients aged ≥ 90 years between April 2005 and January 2013 were retrospectively examined. Relevant demographic and medical data were reviewed. Rates of perioperative complications and complications until end of follow-up (including stroke, myocardial infarction, death) were compiled., Results: Among 21 nonagenarian cases of stent placement performed in 20 patients (11 symptomatic, nine asymptomatic), two patients suffered perioperative stroke after undergoing CAS and one died during the perioperative period. 50% of symptomatic patients were alive at 19 months; 50% of asymptomatic patients were alive at 47 months., Conclusions: CAS in nonagenarian patients carried increased risk of perioperative ischemic events, compared with contemporary trial results in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Further, mean survival time postprocedure fell short of guidelines for receiving procedural benefit. Although larger scale multicenter research is needed, we recommend careful consideration of overall health status when contemplating stenting in nonagenarians., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.)