Source: DGNews  |  Posted 9 years ago

By Charlene Laino
Special to DG News

PHOENIX, AZ -- February 17, 2003 -- Carotid artery stenting with embolic protection appears to significantly reduce the risk of death, stroke or myocardial infraction compared with carotid endarterectomy in high-risk surgical patients, according to the 30-day results of a new study.

Pierre Fayad, MD, chairman of the department of neurological sciences at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, United States, presented the results here on February 15th at the 28th International Stroke Conference.

The Stenting and Angioplasty with Protection in Patients at High Risk for Endarterectomy (SAPPHIRE) trial is the first randomized multicenter study to compare the safety and efficacy of carotid artery stenting plus embolic protection with carotid endarterectomy.

Dr. Fayad and colleagues randomized 307 patients to receive the Precise