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Even today, unlike endarterectomy, long-term development in carotid angioplasty has still not been well defined. The aim of this study is to describe both the short- and long-term development and the rate of restenosis in a consecutive series of patients with carotid stenosis who underwent endovascular treatment at the Hospital Universitario La Fe; a distinction is made between patients with and without symptoms.From 1999 to 2010, 426 patients were submitted to a carotid angioplasty (25.5% were asymptomatic patients). Clinical follow-ups were conducted in the case of 374 patients. They had annual check-ups and every year a neurosonological study was performed. The aim was to determine what complications occurred during the first 30 days, as well as the long-term complications, to establish the rate of restenosis and to evaluate possible differences between patients with and without symptoms.The morbidity and mortality rate in the first month was 4.2% (4.4% in symptomatic patients and 3.8% in asymptomatic patients). The mean follow-up time was 55 months: 8% of patients presented strokes, 11% suffered from myocardial infarct and 24.3% died, with no significant differences between patients with or without symptoms. The rate of restenosis was 17.3% at five years, 7.5% equal to or above 50% and, of those, 1.1% were symptomatic. Five patients with significant restenosis were successfully treated with endovascular techniques.Carotid angioplasty is an effective, safe technique in the hands of an experienced professional; our findings are good, both in the short and the long term, with a low rate of restenosis. If this latter condition occurs, vascular intervention techniques are safe and efficient. |
