Active clinical trials for "Carotid Artery Diseases"

To establish the range of BS and ES (m/s) of normal carotid artery by using ultrafast pulse wave velocity (UFPWV), and to explore the influencing factors.

This study is a prospective randomized clinical trial and to compare the antiinflammatory effect of atorvastatin single therapy and atorvastatin and pioglitazone combination therapy in carotid arteries of stable and unstable angina patients by PET/CT.

Carotid artery stenting (CAS) with cerebral embolic protection is the preferred treatment for narrowing of the carotid arteries in patients at high risk for open surgery. Special devices are used to protect the brain from particles(emboli) that may break off when the narrowing or blockage is cleared during the angioplasty and stenting procedure. Although filters are most frequently used, protection systems consisting of balloons and flow reversal are also available for cerebral embolic protection. However, there is little information about the effectiveness of filters compared with balloons and flow reversal for prevention of embolization during CAS. The aim of our study is to address this major problem. Our study was designed to answer two specific questions: First, the study will investigate whether balloon-based protection systems are more effective than filters in reducing the amount of particles that break off and travel to the brain during CAS. For this purpose two imaging techniques will be used: magnetic resonance imaging of the brain (MRI), and transcranial doppler (detection of microparticles in the small brain vessels using ultrasound). Second, it will be investigated whether the use of balloon-based protection devices are more effective than filters for prevention of stroke, heart attacks, and death after carotid stenting. The results of the study will provide important information to find out the best way to protect the brain from plaque fragments that may break off during CAS.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether immunosuppression by tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisone compared to conversion to sirolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisone affect the progression of atherosclerosis in renal transplant recipients.

Background and purpose. Even if periprocedural cerebral microembolism associated with carotid endarterectomy or stenting usually does not manifest as clinically overt stroke, neuropsychological disturbances resulting from these events represent an important clinical and socioeconomic problem. Still, it remains unclear whether the use proximal protection can lower the incidence of cerebral embolism associated with the treatment of carotid stenosis. Materials and methods. This was a prospective randomised single-centre study, which was aimed at comparison of surgical eversion endarterectomy with stenting under proximal protection in symptomatic patients. The investigators evaluated the incidence of new ischaemic lesions revealed by the diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging 2-4 days after the treatment and neurologic events.

Evaluate the safety and efficacy of the GORE® Carotid Stent for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis in patients at increased risk for adverse events from carotid endarterectomy

Cerebral embolization during carotid artery stenting (CAS) can often precipitate severe adverse neurological effects. Most major clinical studies of CAS have used distal filters for cerebral protection and have compared the neurologic complication rates with those of carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Many currently available embolic protection devices, however, have limited efficacy in capturing microembolic debris that is liberated during stenting, pre-dilatation and post-dilatation. Distal protection systems are furthermore limited by the need to cross the lesion prior to deployment. Some studies have shown a relatively high incidence of cerebral infarction even when distal protection devices are employed. Cerebral protection with carotid flow reversal is a method that was developed by Parodi, et al., as an alternative to the use of distal protection devices. While novel in its approach, this method too has its limitations. Criado, et al., developed a derivative technique that employs carotid flow reversal prior to traversing the stenosis and can be accomplished by directly accessing carotid anatomy without the use of the transfemoral approach. Major benefits to this method include the ability to perform the procedure on patients with severe carotid tortuosity and difficult aortic arch anatomy.

CABANA is a multicenter U.S. surveillance registry that will be conducted to compile early clinical outcomes data for the Carotid WALLSTENT Endoprosthesis and FilterWire EZ System in routine clinical practice and to assess the adequacy of the Boston Scientific Corporation (BSC) Carotid Stenting Training Program.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether morbidity and mortality for high-risk surgical patients treated with the Carotid Wallstent in conjunction with the FilterWire EX and EZ System distal protection device will be less than or equal to that of objective performance criteria (OPC) derived from historic controls undergoing surgical intervention with a carotid endarterectomy (CEA).

To determine whether combined therapy with the lipid lowering agents colestipol hydrochloride plus niacin would produce significant change in coronary, carotid, and femoral artery atherosclerosis and coronary bypass graft lesions as determined by angiography. Also, to determine possible correlations between lesion changes and plasma lipid and lipoprotein cholesterol levels and to explore interrelationships of atherosclerosis change in femoral, coronary, and carotid arteries.