Sirolimus-eluting stenting of the external carotid artery for the treatment of ocular ischemia.

PURPOSE: To present a patient in whom severe external carotid artery (ECA) stenosis causing ocular ischemia was treated with a drug-eluting stent.

CASE REPORT: A 55-year-old woman with severe, diffuse atherosclerosis presented with impaired left ocular perfusion and amaurosis fugax. Duplex ultrasonography and angiography documented bilateral occlusion at the origin of the internal carotid arteries, bilateral subtotal ECA stenoses, and subtotal distal left common carotid artery (CCA) restenosis following endarterectomy. Percutaneous revascularization of the left ECA and CCA stenoses was performed using a short coronary balloon-expandable sirolimus-eluting stent and a self-expanding nitinol stent, respectively. The procedure was uneventful, and the ocular symptoms resolved. At 6 months, the patient remained asymptomatic, with angiographically patent stents.

CONCLUSION

Drug-eluting stenting may be a novel option to treat symptomatic ECA stenosis.