Neck Surgery Less Risky Than Stents

Oct. 20, 2006 -- When it comes to opening blocked carotid arteries, surgery may be less risky than stents.

That's according to a study by French doctors including Jean-Louis Mas, MD, of the Hospitaux Sainte-Anne in Paris.

The carotid arteries run through the neck, taking blood to the brain. They can become narrowed from plaque buildup, making strokes more likely.

Mas' team found that patients who got surgery instead of stents to open the carotid arteries were less likely to die or have strokes in the first six months after their procedure.

But don't jump to conclusions.

While the French study "raises concern" about carotid artery stenting, it "cannot be considered the final word" on the topic, a journal editorialist cautions.

The study and editorial appear in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Surgery, Stents

Surgery to open a carotid artery is an older procedure than stenting.

With the surgery, surgeons first make a small cut in the neck to reach the carotid artery. They may temporarily reroute blood flow as they open the carotid artery and remove the plaque inside.

In the stenting procedure, doctors insert tiny metal mesh tubes, called stents, to open up the artery.

The stent is put into place via a specially designed catheter. This catheter is introduced through a small puncture in a blood vessel in the groin and tracked up to the carotid artery in the neck.

Though stents are used in various blood vessels, this study covered only carotid artery stenting.