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Background: At present, the carotid web (CaW) as an important cause of cryptogenic ischemic stroke has gradually received clinical attention. CaW is associated with a high risk of stroke and patient is more likely to have recurrent stroke if the CaW is untreated. We report a patient who developed CaW related thrombosis during the acute period of cerebral infarction. Case presentation: A 49-year-old male patient with CaW in the left internal carotid artery was diagnosed by computed tomography angiography (CTA) and had two cerebral infarctions in two years. Within 72 h after thrombolysis for an acute cerebral infarction, acute thrombosis was identified between the web and the posterior wall of the carotid artery on carotid ultrasound. Emergent carotid endarterectomy (CEA) was performed to remove abnormal CaW structures and thrombosis to prevent stroke. The patient recovered well and was asymptomatic at 2 months follow-up. Conclusion: Carotid web related thromboembolism is a rare cause of stroke. Carotid ultrasound plays an important role in the diagnosis of asymptomatic thrombosis caused by carotid web. Carotid endarterectomy is effective for stroke prevention in patient with carotid web related thrombosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carotid artery stenting (CAS) is an alternative treatment to carotid endarterectomy for carotid artery stenosis. Acute stent thrombosis (ACST) is an extremely rare complication but can have devastating consequences. Although many cases have been reported, the best treatment is still uncertain. In this study, we report the treatment of ACST caused by diarrhea in an intermediate clopidogrel metabolizer. We also review the literature and discuss appropriate treatment strategies for this rare event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Carotid endarterectomy is routinely performed after ischemic stroke due to carotid stenosis. Perioperative, cerebral blood flow and oxygenation can be monitored in different ways, but there is no clear evidence of a gold standard and a uniform guideline is lacking. Electroencephalography and near-infrared spectroscopy are among the most frequently used methods of neuromonitoring. Clinicians should be aware of their pitfalls and the added value of transcranial doppler.Case Presentation: We present the case of an 85-year old male with perioperative haemodynamic stroke during carotid endarterectomy. Ischemic stroke was caused by suddenly increased carotid stenosis resulting in major neurologic deficit. This was registered only by transcranial doppler, while surface electroencephalography and near-infrared spectroscopy failed to detect any significant change in cerebral perfusion, despite a large perfusion defect on computed tomography. Circulation was restored with endovascular treatment and neurologic deficit quickly resolved.Conclusion: We strongly advocate the practice of multimodal neuromonitoring including transcranial doppler whenever possible to minimize the risk of persistent neurologic deficit due to perioperative stroke during carotid endarterectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Carotid stenosis is a known risk factor for ischemic stroke, and carotid artery stenting is an effective preventive procedure. However, the stroke risk reduction for asymptomatic patients is small. Therefore, it is important to reduce the risk of complications, particularly in asymptomatic carotid stenosis. Statins are known to reduce the overall risk of periprocedural complications, although there is a lack of data focusing on asymptomatic patients. We aimed to investigate whether different doses of statin pretreatment can reduce periprocedural complications of carotid artery stenting (CAS) in patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis.Methods: Between July 2003 and June 2013, 276 consecutive patients received CAS for asymptomatic carotid stenosis. Periprocedural complications included the outcome of stroke, myocardial infarction, or death within 30 days of CAS. Statin pretreatment was categorized as no-statin (n = 87, 31.5%), standard-dose (< 40 mg, n = 139, 50.4%), and high-dose statin (≥40 mg, n = 50, 18.1%) according to the atorvastatin equivalent dose. The Cochran-Armitage (CA) trend test was performed to investigate the association of periprocedural complications with statin dose.Results: The overall periprocedural complication rate was 3.3%. There was no significant difference in the risk of periprocedural complications between the three groups (no statin: n = 3 [3.4%]; standard-dose: n = 4 [2.9%]; high-dose n = 2 [4.0%] p = 0.923). The CA trend test did not demonstrate a trend in the proportion of periprocedural complications across increasing statin equivalent doses (p = 0.919).Conclusions: Statin pretreatment before CAS showed neither absolute nor dose-dependent effects against periprocedural complications in asymptomatic patients undergoing CAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Observe the relationship of anxiety and depression on quality of life outcomes after open and endovascular cerebrovascular procedures.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 349 patients who underwent a procedure for aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation, intraparenchymal hemorrhage, carotid stenosis, acute stroke, and conventional catheter angiogram over three years at a community hospital. We correlated pre-procedural anxiety and depression with Global Physical Health, Global Mental Health, and Modified Rankin Scale scores. We performed univariate and multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses adjusting for past medical history and sociodemographic factors.Results: Anxiety or depression occurred in 18 % of patients. Patients with anxiety or depression were more likely to be female (81% vs 60.8%; p = 0.002) and younger (54 vs. 59 years old; p = 0.025). The groups did not differ in type or urgency of procedure, smoking or history of diabetes. Patients with anxiety or depression reported lower mental health scores at 30 days (45.1 vs 48.2; p = 0.002) post-procedure. In multivariate analyses, anxious or depressed patients had worse mental health scores at 30 days (t = - 2.893; p = 0.008) than those who did not have a history of anxiety or depression. There was no difference between groups in length of stay, mortality, physical health t-scores, functionality scores, or six month quality of life outcomes.Conclusions: Patients undergoing cerebrovascular procedures who self-reported anxiety or depression showed a significant difference in mental health outcomes at 30 days, but six month mental health and other medical and functional outcomes measures were similar to patients without these diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Stenosis of the internal carotid artery has been associated with cognitive impairment and decline. However, studies testing the effect of carotid revascularisation on cognition have had conflicting results. This may in part be explained by variation in the flow territory of the carotid artery. In 12 to 36% of the patients, the posterior cerebral artery is mainly or exclusively supplied by the internal carotid artery via a foetal-type posterior cerebral artery. In these patients, ipsilateral carotid artery stenosis is likely to result in a larger area with hypoperfusion than in case of a normal posterior cerebral artery. Patients with a foetal-type posterior cerebral artery could therefore benefit more from revascularisation. We compared the effects of carotid revascularisation on cognition between patients with a foetal-type and those with a normal posterior cerebral artery. Methods Patients with symptomatic internal carotid artery stenosis ⩾ 50%, enrolled in the International Carotid Stenting Study (ICSS) at a single centre, underwent detailed neuropsychological examinations before and 6 months after revascularisation. Cognitive test results were standardized into z-scores, from which a cognitive sumscore was calculated. The primary outcome was the change in cognitive sumscore between baseline and follow-up. Changes in cognitive sumscore were compared between patients with an ipsilateral foetal-type and those with a normal posterior cerebral artery, as assessed with CT or MR angiography. Results Of 145 patients enrolled in ICSS at the centre during the study period, 98 had both angiography at baseline and neuropsychological examination at baseline and at 6-months follow-up. The cognitive sum score decreased by 0.28 (95% confidence interval, 0.10 to 0.45) in 13 patients with an ipsilateral foetal-type posterior cerebral artery and by 0.07 (95% CI, 0.002 to 0.15) in 85 patients with a normal posterior cerebral artery (mean difference, - 0.20; 95% CI, -0.40 to -0.01). This did not change essentially after adjustment for baseline factors. Conclusion An ipsilateral foetal-type posterior cerebral artery appears to increase cognitive decline after carotid revascularisation. Our findings have to be reproduced in an independent study before further implications can be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the study of changing trends of carotid artery stenting utilization and carotid endarterectomy (CEA). For past two decades, CEA prevents atherosclerotic stroke. The study comprised of a sample of U.S. hospital discharge records of CEA and CAS. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate intervention with specific data elements like age and gender.

Background: Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is routinely performed for asymptomatic carotid stenosis, yet its average net benefit is small. Risk stratification may identify high risk patients that would clearly benefit from treatment.Methods: Retrospective cohort study using data from the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study (ACAS). Risk factors for poor outcomes were included in backward and forward selection procedures to develop baseline risk models estimating the risk of non-perioperative ipsilateral stroke/TIA. Baseline risk was estimated for all ACAS participants and externally validated using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Baseline risk was then included in a treatment risk model that explored the interaction of baseline risk and treatment status (CEA vs. medical management) on the patient-centered outcome of any stroke or death, including peri-operative events.Results: Three baseline risk factors (BMI, creatinine and degree of contralateral stenosis) were selected into our baseline risk model (c-statistic 0.59 [95% CI 0.54-0.65]). The model stratified absolute risk between the lowest and highest risk quintiles (5.1% vs. 12.5%). External validation in ARIC found similar predictiveness (c-statistic 0.58 [0.49-0.67]), but poor calibration across the risk spectrum. In the treatment risk model, CEA was superior to medical management across the spectrum of baseline risk and the magnitude of the treatment effect varied widely between the lowest and highest absolute risk quintiles (3.2% vs. 10.7%).Conclusion: Even modestly predictive risk stratification tools have the potential to meaningfully influence clinical decision making in asymptomatic carotid disease. However, our ACAS model requires target population recalibration prior to clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our aim was to compare the perioperative time courses of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and its inhibitor (TIMP-1) in during carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS).Methods: In our prospective study, twenty-five patients who were scheduled to undergo CAS were enrolled. We used a matched, historical CEA group as controls. Blood samples were collected at four time points: T1: preoperative; T2: 60 min after stent insertion; T3: first postoperative morning; and T4: third postoperative morning. Plasma MMP-9 and TIMP-1 levels were measured by ELISA.Results: In the CEA group, the plasma levels of MMP-9 were significantly elevated at T3 compared to T1. In the CAS group, there was no significant difference in MMP-9 levels in the perioperative period. MMP-9 levels were significantly higher in the T3 samples of the CEA group compared to the CAS group. Significantly lower TIMP-1 levels were measured in both groups at T2 than at T1 in both groups. MMP-9/TIMP-1 at T3 was significantly higher than that at T1 in the CEA group compared to both T1 and the CAS group.Conclusions: CAS triggers smaller changes in the MMP-9-TIMP-1 system during the perioperative period, which may correlate with a lower incidence of central nervous system complications. Additional studies as well as cognitive and functional surveys are warranted to determine the clinical relevance of our findings.Trial Registration: NIH U.S. National Library of Medicine, Clinicaltrials.gov,NCT03410576, 24.01.2018, Retrospectively registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]