CHICAGO, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Research presented Monday in Chicago indicates carotid artery stenting improves cognitive speed and may improve memory function in some patients.
"To my knowledge this is the first study combining neuropsychological testing and perfusion imaging that screens for silent ischemic stroke events that can occur during stenting," said Dr. Iris Grunwald, a consultant at Saarland University Clinic in Hamburg, Germany.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and, until recently, surgery was the standard treatment. But carotid artery stenting has emerged as an accepted minimally invasive alternative to restore blood flow to the brain.
Grunwald and colleagues performed carotid artery stenting on 26 patients and results showed cognitive speed increased significantly after stenting, regardless of the patient's age or the severity of the stenosis.
"Stenting is a safe way to treat carotid artery stenosis," Grunwald said. "In addition, stenting of the carotid artery may offer more than reduced stroke risk, especially to patients with impaired brain perfusion."
The research was presented Monday during the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.
