Characteristics of Cerebral Microembolism During Carotid Stenting and Angioplasty Alone

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Abstract
PERCUTANEOUS transluminal angioplasty and stenting of carotid arteries represent a promising alternative to endarterectomy for patients with symptomatic stenosis of 70% or more and a simultaneous high perioperative risk,1,2 although there is no strong evidence from clinical trials to show that these procedures are more beneficial than other surgical or medical treatments.3,4 Moreover, many periprocedural complications may occur,5 such as ischemic neurological deficits due to distal embolization and hemodynamic impairment.6 Silent brain embolism has also been frequently documented on magnetic resonance images obtained before and after neurointerventional procedures.7