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Objectives: Intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (IA-DSA), an invasive procedure, is the current reference examination after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting for the detection of in-stent restenosis (ISR). In this phantom study, we evaluated flat-panel angiographic computed tomography after intravenous contrast agent application (IV-ACT) and multidetector computed tomographic angiography (MDCTA) as potential noninvasive follow-up alternatives after intracranial percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting., Materials and Methods: We simulated an intracranial vessel using a silicon tube placed inside a human skull. Three different stent systems were deployed inside the silicon tubes, each with diameters of 3 or 4 mm. Three grades of ISR (25%, 50%, and 75%) were simulated. The IA-DSA and IV-ACT examinations were performed on a flat-panel detector angiography system. The MDCTA images were acquired with a 128-slice computed tomographic scanner. The mean stenosis diameters, measured with each technique, were compared using the Bland-Altman plot. The difference between the known stenosis diameter and the measured stenosis diameter was calculated for each examination., Results: Stenosis measurements on the IA-DSA images showed no statistically significant differences compared with the known stenosis diameters (P = 0.19). In the 3-mm stent category, when compared with the known stenosis diameter, mean (SD) differences of 0.01 (0.15) mm, 0.03 (0.24) mm and 0.16 (0.5) mm were calculated for the IA-DSA, IV-ACT, and MDCTA stenosis measurements, respectively. As for the 4-mm stents, IA-DSA and IV-ACT were again very accurate, with mean (SD) differences of -0.03 (0.11) mm and 0.07 (0.19) mm, respectively, compared with the known stenosis diameters, whereas MDCTA overestimated ISR, with a mean (SD) difference of 0.49 (0.53) mm. The Bland-Altman plots show a mean (SD) difference of 0.08 (0.2) mm between IA-DSA and IV-ACT (95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.11) and a mean (SD) difference of 0.34 (0.56) mm between IA-DSA and MDCTA measurements (95% confidence interval, 0.25-0.42)., Conclusions: In our phantom study, IA-DSA was the only examination to predict accurately degrees of stenosis compared with the known stenosis diameters. The results of the IV-ACT measurements were comparable with those of IA-DSA. Multidetector computed tomographic angiography was less accurate in the quantification of stenosis, usually overestimating ISR.

Although evidence is accumulating that age modifies the risk of carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) versus endarterectomy (CEA) for patients with significant carotid stenosis, the impact of age on cognition after either CEA or CAS remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the effects of age on cognitive performance after either CEA or CAS using a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery with parallel test forms and a control group to exclude a learning effect. The neuropsychological outcomes after revascularization were determined in 19 CAS and 27 CEA patients with severe carotid stenosis. The patients were subdivided according to their median age (<68 years and ≥68 years); 27 healthy subjects served as a control group. In all patients clinical examinations, MRI scans and a neuropsychological test battery that assessed four major cognitive domains were performed immediately before, within 72 h, and 3 months after CEA or CAS. While patients <68 years of age showed no significant cognitive alteration after either CEA or CAS, a significant cognitive decline was observed in patients ≥68 years in both treatment groups (p = 0.001). Notably, this cognitive deterioration persisted in patients after CEA, whereas it was only transient in patients treated with CAS. These results demonstrate an age-dependent effect of CEA and CAS on cognitive functions. In contrast to the recently observed increased clinical complication rates in older subjects after CAS compared with CEA, CEA appears to be associated with a greater, persistent decline in cognitive performance than CAS in this subgroup of patients.

Treatment of a symptomatic stenosis is known to be most beneficial within 14 days after the presenting event but this can frequently not be achieved in daily practice. The aim of this study was the assessment of factors responsible for this time delay to treatment. A retrospective analysis of a prospective two-center CAS database was carried out to investigate the potential factors that influence a delayed CAS treatment. Of 374 patients with a symptomatic carotid stenosis, 59.1% were treated beyond ≥14 days. A retinal TIA event (OR = 3.59, 95% CI 1.47-8.74, p < 0.01) was found to be a predictor for a delayed treatment, whereas the year of the intervention (OR = 0.32, 95% CI 0.20-0.50, p < 0.01) and a contralateral carotid occlusion (OR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.21-0.86, p = 0.02) were predictive of an early treatment. Similarly, within the subgroup of patients with transient symptoms, the year of the intervention (OR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.14-0.59, p < 0.01) was associated with an early treatment, whereas a retinal TIA as the qualifying event (OR = 6.96, 95% CI 2.37-20.47, p < 0.01) was associated with a delayed treatment. Treatment delay was most pronounced in patients with an amaurosis fugax, whereas a contralateral carotid occlusion led to an early intervention. Although CAS is increasingly performed faster in the last years, there is still scope for an even more accelerated treatment strategy, which might prevent future recurrent strokes prior to treatment.

Introduction: Carotid artery stenting (CAS) requires adequate follow-up imaging to assess complications such as in-stent stenosis or occlusion. Options include digital subtraction angiography, CT angiography, ultrasound, and MR angiography (MRA), which may offer a non-invasive option for CAS follow-up imaging. The aim of this study was to assess contrast-enhanced MRA (CE-MRA) and three-dimensional time-of-flight MRA (3D-TOF) for visualization of the in-stent lumen in different carotid stents., Methods: In this study, we compared CE-MRA and 3D-TOF of five different carotid stents (Guidant Acculink®, Cordis Precise®, Boston Wallstent®, Abbot Vascular Xact®, Cook Zilver®) in three diameters (4, 6, and 8 mm) using a vascular flow model at 3.0 T with the help of a recently developed carotid surface coil. Stent-related artifacts were objectively assessed by calculating artificial lumen narrowing (ALN) and relative in-stent signal (RIS)., Results: RIS and ALN depended heavily on stent type, stent diameter, and the employed MR sequence. ALN and RIS were relatively favorable for Acculink®, Precise®, and Zilver® stents with both CE-MRA and 3D-TOF. CE-MRA provided better results for the Wallstent, while the Xact stent was difficult to visualize with both MRA protocols., Conclusion: Both CE-MRA and 3D-TOF are viable options for depicting the in-stent lumen in carotid stents. For specific stents, 3D-TOF provided image quality comparable to CE-MRA and may thus be suitable for in vivo assessment. Development of stent-specific pathways for follow-up imaging seems advisable to address stent-related differences in image quality.