[Endovascular revascularization of the carotid area in elderly patients in acute ishemic stroke: the current view of the problem (review of literature)].

This article presents the review of literature devoted to studying of safety and efficacy of early carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) in older patients in acute stroke. CAS has been shown to be a non-inferior treatment to carotid endarterectomy for the prevention of recurrent strokes with equivalent rates of major complications (stroke, myocardial infarction and death). Early revascularization is desirable in patients presenting with stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) referable to carotid artery stenosis because of the high incidence of recurrent ischemic events. In fact CAS, in the acute stage, remains challenging because of risk perioperative complications and hyperperfusion syndrome or cerebral hemorrhagic infarction after revascularization. In the past years, few researches (Setacci C., 2008; Battocchio C., 2012; Wach M., 2013, et al.) indicate that this procedure can be relatively safe, including elderly patients, even when performed early after a TIA or stroke. However, additional studies of safety and efficacy of early CAS must be undertaken to define the role of endovascular revascularization of the extracranial carotid arteries in the early management of acute stroke.