Experimental neck stents, used to clear clogged neck arteries, may cause stroke, death

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has discovered that an experimental treatment used to clear clogged neck arteries carries a higher-than-expected risk of stroke and death. In fact, the study was halted early over safety concerns.

These findings conflict with influential earlier research, which found stents to be safer.

At issue is the best way to treat patients who develop blockages in the carotid, a key artery that supplies blood to the brain. The blockages are caused by plaque, a cheesy buildup of fat and cholesterol.

The study compared the use of stents - small tubes that prop open blood vessels - with a common surgical procedure for cleaning out blockages in the carotid artery. Deaths and strokes were more than twice as common in patients treated with stents, the researchers found.

The original study Carotid-Artery Stenting — Case Open or Closed? by Anthony J. Furlan, M.D., can be found in the New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 355:1726-1729 October 19, 2006 Number 16.