Cerebrovascular reactivity recovery following carotid angioplasty and stenting

Abstract

Abstract Background Internal carotid artery high-grade stenosis is a major cause of stroke. Carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) is a reasonable approach for treatment of certain patients. Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) evaluated through breath holding index test can assess the outcome following CAS. Aim Evaluate changes in CVR before and after CAS. Subjects and method Thirty-two patients with 35 symptomatic internal carotid artery high-grade stenosis (> 70%) were enrolled by the mean of ultrasound screening. Breath holding index test was done using transcranial Doppler ultrasound before and after CAS. Results The study includes 32 patients (22 males and 10 females). The mean age was 61.91 ± 6.59 years. The main risk factor was hypertension (75.3%). All patients showed an increase in mean flow velocity and BHI following CAS (P 90% stenosis) showed similar improvement of CVR. Conclusion CAS improves CVR in all high grades of internal carotid artery stenosis.

Keywords

• Stroke
• Carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS)
• Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR)
• Breath holding test (BHT)