Studies conflict on stent use for strokes

SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- A European report conflicts with a North American study that suggests stents are as effective as surgery in opening blocked neck arteries, officials said.

The North American study on stroke prevention found stents -- small tubes inserted in the carotid artery -- were less invasive and safer than surgery, said Dr. Thomas Brott, a researcher for the Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study discussed Friday at a medical meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

"We had outstanding results," Brott said in reference to the U.S. and Canadian study called Crest -- Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting Trial.

European researchers, however, said their work showed patients treated with stents had nearly twice as many complications as those treated surgically to clear carotid blockages, The New York Times reported Friday.

The researchers said they were at odds to explain why their clinical trials reached such different conclusions.

In the United States, strokes are the third leading cause of death and a major cause of disability among adults.