Optimal Stent Type for Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease

A moderate-sized trial suggests that drug-eluting stents are better than bare-metal ones in high-risk patients.

Intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is a leading cause of ischemic stroke, especially in Asian and African American patients. In previous trials, aggressive medical management was superior to intracranial stenting in patients with severe, symptomatic stenosis. However, some interventional specialists believe the stenting protocol can be refined to make intracranial stenting useful in high-risk patients for long-term stroke prevention. These authors conducted a randomized trial at 16 centers in China to compare a drug-eluting (sirolimus) stent (DES) with a bare-metal stent (BMS) among patients with severe (70%–99%) stenosis of a major intracranial vessel and a diagnosis of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in the pre…

Reviewing Author

Seemant Chaturvedi, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBayer Pharmaceuticals; Novartis

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Editorial BoardsNeurology; Stroke

Seemant Chaturvedi, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBayer Pharmaceuticals; Novartis

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Editorial BoardsNeurology; Stroke

Optimal Stent Type for Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease

Topics

Reviewing Author