Objective: Neurologic complications during carotid artery stenting (CAS) are usually associated with distal embolic event. These embolic incident during CAS are highly associated with the carotid plaque instability. The current study was undertaken to identify the angiographic characteristics of carotid plaque vulnerability, which was represented as filling defect in the cerebral protection filters during CAS.
Methods: A total of 107 patients underwent CAS with use of a distal protection filter. Angiographic carotid plaque surface morphology was classified as smooth, irregular, and ulcerated. To determine predictable factors of filling defect in the protection filters, 11 variables were retrospectively analyzed which might influence filling defect in the protection filters during CAS.
Results: Filling defects during CAS were presented in the 33 cerebral protection filters. In multivariate analysis, angiographic ulceration [odds ratio (OR), 6.60; 95% confidence interval (CI) : 2.24, 19.4; p=0.001], higher stenosis degree (OR, 1.06; 95% CI : 1.00, 1.12; p=0.039), and coexistent thrombus (OR, 7.58; 95% CI : 1.69, 34.05; p=0.08) were highly associated with filling defect in the cerebral protection devices during CAS. Among several variables, angiographic surface ulceration was the only significant factor associated with flow stagnation during CAS (OR, 4.11; 95% CI : 1.33, 12.72; p=0.014).
Conclusion: Plaque surface morphology on carotid angiography can be a highly sensitive marker of plaque instability during CAS. The independent risk factors for filling defect in the filter devices during CAS were plaque ulceration, stenosis degree, and coexistent thrombus.
Keywords: Angiography; Carotid artery; Plaque.