Carotid artery stenting and patient outcomes: the CABANA surveillance study.

Objectives: The purpose of the prospective, multicenter, nonrandomized CABANA study was to evaluate periprocedural clinical outcomes in high surgical risk patients with carotid artery stenosis treated with the Carotid WALLSTENT plus FilterWire EZ Embolic Protection System by a diverse group of clinicians.

Background: There is a need for additional evidence evaluating carotid artery stenting (CAS) performed by operators with various experience and training levels.

Methods: The study enrolled symptomatic (≥50% carotid artery stenosis) and asymptomatic (≥80% carotid stenosis) patients at high risk for carotid endarterectomy.

Influence of stent type on hemodynamic depression after carotid artery stent placement.

Purpose: To assess the effect of stent type on hypotension and bradycardia after carotid artery stent placement.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis on a prospectively maintained database was conducted in 256 patients (126 men; mean age, 71.8 years +/- 8.

Clinical evaluation of the Zilver vascular stent for symptomatic iliac artery disease.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Zilver vascular stent in the treatment of de novo or restenotic lesions in the external and common iliac arteries.

Materials And Methods: Regardless of the results of an initial percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), 151 consecutive patients were implanted with Zilver vascular stents (Cook, Bloomington, Ind) in up to two stenotic (< or =10 cm) or occluded (< or =5 cm) atherosclerotic lesions of the external or common iliac arteries. The primary endpoint was the rate of major adverse events within 9 months after the procedure.

Bivalirudin as an anticoagulation agent: safety and efficacy in peripheral interventions.

Purpose: Traditionally, unfractionated heparin is used to prevent thrombotic complications in peripheral interventions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of bivalirudin as the anticoagulant agent for peripheral interventions.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis of 108 patients who underwent 110 peripheral interventions between January 2002 and January 2004 and received bivalirudin as the sole anticoagulation agent was conducted at Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute.

Delayed aortic aneurysm enlargement due to endotension after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) enlarges after successful endovascular repair, because of persistent blood flow within the aneurysm sac, or endoleak. In the absence of detectable endoleak, AAA may still expand, in part because of persistent pressurization within the excluded aneurysm, or endotension. We report three patients who underwent successful endovascular AAA repair in whom postoperative surveillance showed aneurysm regression, yet delayed AAA enlargement without demonstrable endoleak developed in all three patients.

Implications of problematic access in transluminal endografting of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Purpose: Despite careful preoperative assessment, problematic access to the abdominal aorta for transluminal endografting (TE) of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is sometimes encountered. This study identifies preoperative risk factors predictive of problematic access and determines the impact of problematic access on outcomes.

Materials And Methods: Three hundred twenty-one consecutive TE procedures for AAA were divided into two groups: group A, which had access problems (n = 74), and group B, which had none (n = 247).