Systematic review backs acute carotid artery stenting for tandem occlusions

Researchers say the evidence shows the treatment is associated with double the rate of successful reperfusion compared with balloon angioplasty

Acute carotid artery stenting for tandem occlusion leads to better functional outcomes and reperfusion rates than balloon angioplasty, a new analysis shows.

And a retrograde approach — performing mechanical thrombectomy before rather than after cervical recanalisation — appears to be most effective, according to clinicians from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in the US.