Risk factors for peri-procedural stroke or death in internal carotid artery stenting: A neurology team experience

Background and Objectives: Suitable cases of extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis can be treated with carotid artery stenting (CAS) or carotid endarterectomy. However, major complications in the peri-procedural period, like stroke and death, are more common with CAS. We therefore investigated the risk factors for stroke and death during the peri-procedural period following CAS. Methods: In this study, the files of patients who were treated with CAS by a neurology team during 2020–2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patient age, gender, vascular risk factors, use of antiplatelet therapy, type of carotid artery stenosis (symptomatic or asymptomatic), measured stenosis degrees, contralateral carotid stenosis, types of aortic arch, balloon angioplasty, use of a filter-type embolism protection device, stent cell design (open or closed), and peri-procedural death, stroke, or myocardial infarction (MI) were recorded. All patients were followed up for the first 30 days after CAS. Results: The mean age of 219 patients included in our study was 67.8 ± 8.38 years and 68.5% were male. The most common comorbid diseases in the patients were hypertension (76.7%), hyperlipidemia (53.4%) and diabetes mellitus (DM) (43.4%). Stroke or death occurred in the peri-procedural period in 15 (6.85%) of the patients, but MI did not occur. No statistically significant difference was observed in terms of age or gender when comparing with the cases without stroke or death. Of the patients suffering stroke or death, ischemic stroke developed in 13 (86.67%), cerebral hemorrhage in two (13.33%) and two patients (13.33%) died. Two-thirds of the strokes were either minor (n=7, 46.67%) or moderate (n=4, 26.67%); 13 (86.67%) were ipsilateral, and 14 (93.33%) were in the anterior circulation. The complication risk was found to be significantly higher in patients with prior stroke (OR=3.865; 95% CI 1.282 to 11.652 p=.016), DM (OR=3.634; 95% CI 1.102 to 11.992 p=.034) and pre-dilation angioplasty (OR=13.100; 95% CI 1.762 to 97.422 p=.012). Conclusion: Prior stroke, DM and pre-dilation angioplasty increase peri-procedural stroke and death in CAS. However, even if a stroke complication develops after CAS, it is often not severe.