RIDGEWOOD, N.J., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Vascular surgeons at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey, were the first in the state to perform a newly approved carotid stent procedure designed to reduce the risk of stroke associated with carotid artery disease. Prior to receiving U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, the system could only be used for investigational purposes as part of an ongoing clinical trial.
“FDA approval of a carotid stent offers a minimally invasive alternative for patients at risk for a stroke who are ineligible or at high risk for traditional carotid surgery,” said vascular surgeon Daniel Char, M.D., who, along with vascular surgeon Josh Bernhem, M.D., performed the first procedure to insert the carotid stent at Valley.
Stroke is the nation’s third leading cause of death, affecting about 750,000 Americans each year. About 60 percent of strokes are caused by carotid artery disease, which is caused by a buildup of plaque in one or both of the carotid arteries, which are located on each side of the neck and extend from the aorta in the chest to the base of the skull and supply blood to the brain. A stroke can occur when particles of plaque lining the artery walls dislodge, travel through the bloodstream and block blood vessels in the brain.
Surgery for carotid artery disease entails the use of general anesthesia and involves an incision in the patient’s neck and carotid artery to remove the plaque from the lining of the vessel wall. The surgical approach is very effective, but not appropriate for all patients.
Angioplasty and stenting are established therapies that have been used successfully for years to treat heart disease. During a carotid stenting procedure, the patients first undergo angioplasty. During angioplasty the physician inserts a long, thin tube called a catheter with an attached balloon into an artery in the groin and guides the catheter to the blockage site in the carotid artery. Next, a device is inserted just past the blockage that captures and removes any particles of plaque that can become dislodged during angioplasty and stenting, preventing these particles from entering the brain’s circulation. Once the protection device is in place, the balloon is inflated to force open a blocked carotid artery. The physician then inserts the carotid stent, a stainless steel mesh tube used to buttress the opened vessel. During the procedure, which is performed in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, the patient is awake.
“While surgery remains the first option for most patients, clinical trials of the carotid stent showed that use of stents in high-risk patients with a severely block carotid artery significantly reduced the risk of stroke,” Dr. Char said.
The Valley Hospital
CONTACT: Maureen Curran Kleinman of The Valley Hospital,+1-201-291-6310
Web site: http://www.valleyhealth.com/
