Surgical and Percutaneous Management of Carotid Artery Stenosis

Stroke is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Approximately 700,000 Americans suffer from a stroke per year and 270,000 of these patients will die as a result of their stroke. The etiology of cerebrovascular events can be attributed to carotid artery disease in 20-30% of cases. Carotid endarterectomy has been shown to be beneficial in selected patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. Percutaneous treatment of carotid disease appears to be effective when performed with distal protection by an experienced operator. This review presents the clinical trial data regarding surgical and percutaneous management of carotid disease.