Leg Pain Drug may Prevent Re-blockage of Neck Arteries After a Stent

Adding cilostazol, an antiplatelet drug used to treat leg pain, can help prevent re-blockage of carotid artery stents within two years, reports a new study. The findings of the study are presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2020.

The conference, Feb. 19-21 in Los Angeles, is a world premiere meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science of stroke and brain health.

Dementia Risk Higher in Atrial Fibrillation Patients With Carotid Artery Disease
Dementia risk increases in patients who have atrial fibrillation along with carotid artery disease, both conditions that have similar risk factors.

‘Cilostazol is a unique antiplatelet agent. As a phosphodiesterase III inhibitor, it improves endothelial function, restricts the clumping of blood cells (platelet aggravation), widens blood vessels (vasodilator), and mildly inhibits cell growth.’

Tweet it Now

The blockage of a neck artery (carotid artery) is a major cause of stroke. Opening the carotid artery with a mesh tube known as a stent is an effective treatment. However, patients can develop a blockage - known as in-stent restenosis, which may increase the risk of recurrent stroke.

Cilostazol is FDA-approved to treat leg pain in people with peripheral vascular disease.

"This is the first trial to show potential effectiveness of medical management for the prevention of in-stent restenosis after carotid artery stenting," said Hiroshi Yamagami, M.D., Ph.D., lead study author and director of the Department of Stroke Neurology at National Hospital Organization Osaka National Hospital, Japan.

Carotid Artery Block for the Second Time is Rare in Patients: Indian Doctor
A 70-year-old patient was treated for a block in the carotid artery and after 10 years he was treated again with a stroke prevention surgery.

The Carotid Artery Stenting with Cilostazol Addition for Restenosis (CAS-CARE) study is a multi-center, prospective, randomized, open-label trial evaluating the inhibitory effect of cilostazol on in-stent restenosis, compared to other antiplatelet medications in patients scheduled to undergo carotid artery stenting.

Eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive cilostazol (50 mg or 100 mg, twice per day), or any antiplatelet agents other than cilostazol, starting three days before stenting and continued for two years. A total of 631 patients (average age 70, 88% of men) were included in the full study analysis. In-stent restenosis occurred in 9.5% of patients in the cilostazol group and 15% of patients in the non-cilostazol group during two years of follow-up.

Carotid Artery MRI Aids Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment
Plaque buildup in the carotid arteries is easily imaged, making it potentially useful vessel for the assessment of the risk of strokes, heart attacks and other adverse cardiovascular events.

The rate of cardiovascular event occurrence was about 6% in both groups. Bleeding events were also similar for both groups at 1.1% in those treated with cilostazol vs. 0.3% among those not treated with cilostazol.

Source-Eurekalert

High Risk Patients With Lesions can be Successfully Treated With Carotid Artery Stenting
Results of a small feasibility study show that patients who cannot be surgically treated for severe carotid artery disease lesions could be treated with carotid artery stenting.