Advances in the Management of Carotid Artery Disease: Focus on Recent Evidence and Guidelines

Recent landmark randomized trials and society guidelines have significantly revised the management of carotid artery disease. Duplex ultrasonography is the recommended initial diagnostic test for the assessment of extracranial carotid artery stenosis. Carotid artery imaging is reasonable in select patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Carotid revascularization can be achieved safely and effectively with carotid endarterectomy or carotid artery stenting. Because each procedure has a different risk/benefit profile, the optimal approach is to match the particular patient to the intervention that maximizes outcome benefit. Carotid revascularization is recommended in patients scheduled for CABG surgery when the carotid artery stenosis is symptomatic and/or bilateral. Further trials are required to guide the management of asymptomatic unilateral carotid artery stenosis in patients undergoing CABG surgery. Aggressive medical therapy remains the gold standard for intracranial carotid artery disease because landmark trials have shown no outcome improvement with vascular bypass or percutaneous angioplasty and stenting. A large recent trial showed that local anesthesia, as compared with general anesthesia, for carotid endarterectomy has no major clinical outcome advantage. Although carotid artery stenting is associated with a reduced risk of myocardial ischemia, it still has important risks of stroke and hemodynamic instability that significantly affect clinical outcome. The timing and choice of carotid revascularization technique ultimately depends on multiple clinical factors.