Carotid Endarterectomy: Too Soon to Call It Preferred for Women

Women tend to have poorer stroke outcomes than men. This disparity might apply to early prognoses following revascularization for carotid artery atherosclerosis, but clinical trial data conflict; thus, expert consensus guidelines differ on the need to factor sex into decisions about procedural management. In the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting Trial (CREST), risk for the primary outcome (a composite of stroke, myocardial infarction, or death during a 30-day periprocedural period, or ipsilateral stroke within 4 years) was similar for carotid artery stenting (CAS) and carotid endarterectomy (CE) in patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (JW Cardiol Jun 4 2010). Now, in a partially industry-…