Preliminary results of carotid artery stenting in a non-academic hospital

Introduction A review of our experience with CAS in a non-academic hospital is presented. Materials and methods A consecutive series of 18 CAS-interventions between 2003 and 2005 is studied retrospectively. Indication, medical history, preoperative carotid imaging, operative technique and results were studied for each patient. Results : CAS was used 12 times in men and six (33.3%) times in women between 2003 and 2005. Five (27.8%) symptomatic stenoses, 12 (66.6%) asymptomatic stenoses and one (5.6%) arterio-venous fistula were treated. One permanent postoperative ipsilateral ischaemic neurologic deficit occurred (5.6%). The mean duration of hospital stay was 4.9 days (range : 2-9 days). Conclusions : Our study shows that CAS is feasible in non-academic hospital settings, with acceptable early results. Participating in larger studies should confirm our results.