The effect of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the internal carotid artery on cognitive function and ADL

To examine tile effects of successful percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the internal carotid artery (ICA) on measures of cognitive function and activities of daily living (ADL). We studied nine patients (7 men /2 women; 49-77 years old) who had angiographical ly-confirmed stenosed of the ICA of greater than 60%. and who had either infarction or transient ischemic attacks. Patients were evaluated with neuropsychological tests and functional independence measure (FIM) prior to and following PTA. PTA was successful in all patients, and there were no complications. The average stenosis decreased from 81.0% to 31.1% after PTA. Scores on FIM improved after PTA, and the degree of improvement was correlated with improvement in neuropsychologic tests. We suggest that PTA improves cognitive function ill patients with symptomatic ICA stenoses as well as ADL.