NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 3 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say a multicenter study has determined a new embolic protection device for use during carotid artery stenting has a 97.5 percent success rate.
The medical researchers said they found high surgical risk patients had very low stroke rates when the FiberNet Embolic Protection System was used during carotid artery stenting.
Carotid artery stenosis, or carotid artery disease, occurs when plaque forms in the carotid artery, causing it to narrow and increasing the risk of ischemic stroke, the researchers said.
Carotid artery stenosis is often treated with placement of a tiny flexible tube into the diseased vessel to ensure proper blood flow. But that procedure involves the risk of embolism, in which plaque breaks away from the artery's wall and blocks another artery downstream.
Embolic protection devices are used to catch any plaque, but scientists say those systems have had varying degrees of success.
The study, led by Dr. Subbarao Myla, medical director of cardiovascular research at the Hoag Heart and Vascular Institute in Newport Beach, Calif, assessed the safety and efficacy of the new system. The researchers said they concluded the device, when used with commercially available stents, produced low stroke rates following carotid artery stenting.
The study's findings are detailed in the online early edition of the journal Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.
