Tips and tricks to avoid periprocedural neurological complications in carotid artery stenting.

Execution of carotid artery stenting (CAS) requires not only excellent manual dexterity, and a high level of competence, but also in-depth knowledge of the carotid pathology, of the materials available on the market and of the different techniques to apply in given situations. Actually each individual moment of the procedure can be determining for the final result. This review describes each individual step of CAS, including arterial access, carotid engagement, pre-dilatation, the characteristics and use of cerebral protection devices, stent selection and deployment, and post-dilatation. Technical notes and some suggestions are provided on how to minimize the event of periprocedural neurological complications.