Fracture of a nitinol carotid artery stent that caused restenosis.

The placement of self-expanding nitinol stents in the carotid artery is rapidly emerging as a minimally invasive alternative in the treatment of cervical carotid artery occlusive disease. Fractures of balloon-expandable stents after placement in the carotid artery have been previously documented. The authors report on a single case of early stent fracture and complete mid-body disruption of a self-expanding stent associated with a significant restenosis necessitating repeat intervention after carotid artery stent placement for a de novo atherosclerotic lesion.