Carotid angioplasty and stenting in anatomically high-risk patients: Safe and durable except for radiation-induced stenosis

• Published in: Journal of vascular surgery 2009-10, Vol.50 (4), p.762-767
• Main Authors: Shin, Susanna H., MD, Stout, Christopher L., MD, Richardson, Albert I., MD, DeMasi, Richard J., MD, Shah, Rasesh M., MD, Panneton, Jean M., MD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Angioplasty, Balloon - methods; Angioplasty, Balloon - mortality; Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; Carotid Stenosis - diagnostic imaging; Carotid Stenosis - mortality; Carotid Stenosis - therapy; Cohort Studies; Comorbidity; Feasibility Studies; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Graft Occlusion, Vascular - diagnostic imaging; Graft Occlusion, Vascular - epidemiology; Humans; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Male; Middle Aged; Probability; Radiation Injuries - complications; Radiation Injuries - therapy; Retrospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Severity of Illness Index; Stents; Surgery; Survival Rate; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex; Vascular Patency
• ISSN: 0741-5214; 1097-6809
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jvs.2009.04.066

Objective Carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) is used in patients considered high-risk for carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Patients qualify as high-risk because of medical comorbid conditions or for anatomic considerations (previous CEA, radical neck dissection, radiation). We compared the technical feasibility and durability of CAS in medically high-risk patients (MED) vs anatomically high-risk patients (ANAT). Methods A retrospective review was performed of all consecutive patients undergoing CAS by a single vascular surgery group. All patients were high risk and evaluated with duplex ultrasound imaging and angiography. Primary end points were technical success, 30-day stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), death, and in-stent restenosis. Standard statistical analysis included Kaplan-Meier life tables. Results From January 2003 to December 2007, 230 CAS (98 ANAT, 132 MED) procedures were attempted. The ANAT cohort comprised 84 patients with a single anatomic risk factor: 71 with a previous ipsilateral CEA, 6 high lesions, 6 history of neck radiation, and 1 with a tracheostomy. Ten patients had two or three anatomic risk factors: nine with radical neck dissection and radiation and one with neck radiation and ipsilateral CEA. The mean age was 71.1 years for ANAT vs 73.9 years for MED ( P = .021). Technical success rates were 98% in ANAT and 98.5% in MED ( P = .76). Thirty-day stroke rate was 1.0% in ANAT and 5.3% in MED ( P = .14); the mortality rate was 2.0% in ANAT and 0.8% in MED ( P = .79). The 2-year survival free from stroke was MED, 93.6% and ANAT, 98.9% ( P = .118); and from restenosis was MED, 91.9%; and ANAT, 91.0% ( P = .98). Two-year overall survival was significantly better in ANAT (84.6%) vs MED (70.1%; P = .026). Four of the seven restenoses in the ANAT group occurred in patients with previous neck radiation. The restenosis rate for radiation-induced (RAD) stenosis treated with CAS was significantly higher at 22.2% (4 of 18) compared with 3.8% (3 of 78) in ANAT group patients without a history of radiation (non-RAD; P = .028). The 2-year restenosis-free survival was 72.7% in the RAD group vs 95.9% in the non-RAD group ( P = .017). Conclusion CAS is as technically feasible, safe, and durable in anatomically high-risk patients as in medically high-risk patients, with similar rates of periprocedural stroke and death and late restenosis. However, patients with radiation-induced stenosis appear to be at an increased risk for restenosis.