Are there predictive risk factors for complications after carotid artery stenting?

Aim. The aim of this study was to identify predictive risk factors for complications during and after carotid artery stenting (CAS). Methods. A multivariate analysis was performed on the databases of 4 European high-volume centers regarding risk factor distribution between patients presenting with or without neurological complications 30 days after CAS. The cumulative 30-day neurological complication rate (death, major stroke, minor stroke and transient ischemic attack) was 2.8% in the total examined cohort of 3 179 consecutive CAS procedures. The following risk factors were taken into consideration for statistical analysis: age, symptomatic, male gender, nicotine abuse, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, polyvascular disease, diabetes, restenosis after carotid endarterectomy (CEA)/CAS, calcified internal carotid artery. Results. Symptomatic (P=0.02) or hypercholesterolemic (P=0.02) patients are at significantly increased risk for neurological events 30 days after CAS. Asymptomatic women and men without hypercholesterolemia have the lowest risk on any 30-day neurological complications after CAS. Conclusion. CAS is a safe technique in experienced hands. Preprocedural neurological complaints and hypercholesterolemia can be defined as predisposing factors for 30-day neurological complications after CAS.