Carotid stenosis - basing treatment on individual patients' needs. Optimal medical therapy alone or accompanied by stenting or endarterectomy

An Ultrasound Model to Predict the Short-Term Effects of Endovascular Stent Placement in the Treatment of Carotid Artery Stenosis

Purpose: The present study aimed to explore the predictive ability of an ultrasound linear regression equation in patients undergoing endovascular stent placement (ESP) to treat carotid artery stenosis-induced ischemic stroke.

Methods: Pearson's correlation coefficient of actual improvement rate (IR) and 10 preoperative ultrasound indices in the carotid arteries of 64 patients who underwent ESP were retrospectively analyzed. A predictive ultrasound model for the fitted IR after ESP was established.

Results: Of the 10 preoperative ultrasound indices, peak systolic velocity (PSV) at stenosis was strongly correlated with postoperative actual IR (r = 0.622; P < 0.01). The unstable plaque index (UPI; r = 0.447), peak eccentricity ratio (r = 0.431), and plaque stiffness index (β; r = 0.512) moderately correlated with actual IR (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the resistance index (r = 0.325) and the dilation coefficient (r = 0.311) weakly correlated with actual IR (P < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between actual IR and the number of unstable plaques, area narrowing, pulsatility index, and compliance coefficient. In combination, morphological, hemodynamic, and physiological ultrasound indices can predict 62.39% of neurological deficits after ESP: fitted IR = 0.9816 – 0.1293β + 0.0504UPI – 0.1137PSV.

Conclusion: Certain carotid ultrasound indices correlate with ESP outcomes. The multi-index predictive model can be used to evaluate the effects of ESP before surgery.

Carotid Artery Angioplasty and Stenting for Carotid Stenosis: A Single-Center Experience from Saudi Arabia

Purpose

Atherosclerotic stenosis of the extracranial carotid artery accounts for approximately 20% of all strokes. Both carotid artery endarterectomy and carotid artery angioplasty with stenting (CAAS) are recommended for symptomatic patients with 50% or more stenosis or asymptomatic patients with 70% or more stenosis. CAAS is under-reported in Saudi Arabia, as evidenced by a thorough literature search. In this article, we aim to share our experience of CAAS to call for the necessity of conducting more research on stroke and emphasize the local need of utilizing more endovascular treatments like CAAS.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective single-center observational study was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The inclusion criteria consisted of all adult patients (18 years and above) with carotid stenosis who were treated with CAAS.

Results

A total of 16 patients were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 66.9±13.5 years (range 30–87 years). All patients were symptomatic (had a previous stroke or transient ischemic attack). The procedure was successful in 14 patients (87.5%), while it failed in 2 patients (12.5%) due to technical reasons. All patients had no stroke or myocardial infarction within 30 days of the procedure.

Conclusion

Despite the advancement in medicine with free healthcare services in Saudi Arabia, the interventional procedures for secondary prevention of strokes are underutilized. Collaboration between different hospitals will be extremely helpful since few centers in each city are providing such treatments by an expert neurointerventionist and/or strokologist. The good selection of candidates, optimal management of comorbid conditions, and multidisciplinary care may improve outcomes and reduce mortality.

Editorial comment: sandwich carotid stenting: too much of a good thing?

This editorial comment refers to the article "Detection of in-stent protrusion (ISP) by intravascular ultrasound during carotid stenting: usefulness of stent-in-stent placement for ISP" by Okazaki T et al Eur Radiol., July 2018.

Oral antiplatelet agents in cardiovascular disease

Antiplatelet agents significantly reduce mortality and morbidity in ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral artery disease (PAD), and are therefore part of guideline-driven daily medical treatment in these patients. Due to its beneficial effects in the secondary prevention of atherothrombotic events, aspirin remains the most frequently prescribed antiplatelet agent in cardiovascular disease. In patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and in those undergoing angioplasty with stent implantation dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and an adenosine diphosphate (ADP) receptor antagonist is indicated. The development of the newer ADP P2Y₁₂ inhibitors prasugrel and ticagrelor has further improved prognosis in ACS patients compared to clopidogrel. Moreover, vorapaxar allows the inhibition of platelet activation by thrombin via protease-activated receptor-1 and has been approved for the use in patients with PAD and in those with a history of myocardial infarction. This review article summarizes the current evidence on oral antiplatelet agents in cardiovascular disease. Keywords: Aspirin, clopidogrel, prasugrel, ticagrelor, vorapaxar, cardiovascular disease.

Pre-Procedural Statin Use Is Associated with Improved Long-Term Survival and Reduced Major Cardiovascular Events in Patients Undergoing Carotid Artery Stenting: A Retrospective Study

Carotid artery stenting (CAS) is a minimal invasive procedure used to resolve carotid occlusion that can be affected by peri-procedural complications. Statin use before CAS has shown to reduce peri-procedural risk and improve survival, though time-dependent cofactors that influence mortality has not been considered. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term survival of patients who undergo CAS considering new occurred major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) as time-dependent cofactor. In this study, 171 high cardiovascular risk patients (age 72 ± 8 years, 125 males) were enrolled after CAS procedure and were followed for a median of 8.4 years. Death occurred in 44% of patients with a mean time to death of 69 ± 39 months and MACE in 34% with a mean time of 35 ± 42 months. In patients who used or not statins at baseline, death occurred in 33% and 65%, respectively (p < 0.001). Survival analysis showed that statin use reduced risk of death (hazard ratio HR 0.36, 95% confidence interval CI 0.23⁻0.58, p < 0.0001). Including MACE as time-dependent variable did not change beneficial effects of statins. Additionally, statin use was associated with a protective effect on MACE (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.27⁻0.85, p = 0.012); particularly, the prevalence of stroke was reduced by 59% (p = 0.018). In multivariate analysis, effects of statins were independent of demographic and anthropometric variables, prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, renal function, antiplatelet use, and MACE occurrence. In conclusion, use of statins before CAS procedure is associated with increased long-term survival and reduced MACE occurrence. This evidence supports the hypothesis that statin use before CAS might be beneficial in high risk patients.

THE POSSIBILITIES OF USING A NEW FIXED-DOSE COMBINATION OF ROSUVASTATIN AND ACETYLSALICYLIC ACID: FOCUS GROUPS OF PATIENTS

The review focuses on the impairment of the carotid, coronary arteries and lower-extremity arterial disease. Systemic involvement of various vascular beds in atherogenesis is emphasized. Epidemiological characteristics of morbidity and mortality from the main clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis - ischemic stroke, ischemic heart disease and lower-extremity arterial disease are given. The current principles of drug therapy are considered from the point of view of improving the prognosis and eliminating ischemia. The basic positions of International and Russian clinical recommendations on the management of patients with the presence of certain clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis are discussed. Detailed administration schemes and the preferred doses of statins and antiplatelet agents depending on the localization of atherosclerotic lesion and the severity of stenosis are described. The target blood lipids levels in the treatment with statins are given. The advantages of statins as drugs that reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications are presented. Current data on the pattern of antiplatelet use, including acetylsalicylic acid, in individuals with clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis are given. The principal tactic of dual antiplatelet therapy and schemes of its use in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass surgery and in individuals with a history of acute coronary disorders are considered.