Abstract W P171: Intracranial Blood Flow Changes After Extracranial Carotid Stenting

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the effects of extracranial carotid stenting on intracranial blood flow. Methods: Records of patients who underwent stenting for extracranial carotid stenosis at our institution between 2004-2012 and had flow rates obtained pre and post stenting using quantitative magnetic resonance angiography were retrospectively reviewed. Measurements of degree of stenosis, stenosis length, and residual lumen were made from cerebral angiography images. Results: 18 patients with complete anatomic and flow data were included. Mean age was 66 years with 61% presenting with symptomatic stenosis. Degree of stenosis ranged from 60% to 90%. Internal carotid artery (ICA) mean flow improved significantly post stenting from 174.9 +/- 83.6 mL/min to 250.7 +/- 91.2 mL/min ( P =0.011). Ipsilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) flow, however, was not significantly altered post stenting (101.8 +/- 47.7 mL/min vs. 111.3 +/- 37.4 mL/min; P =0.15). Multiple regression analysis revealed that improvement in residual lumen, but not percentage stenosis (p=0.45) or stenosis length (p=0.992), is an independent predictor of increased change in ipsilateral ICA flow ( P =0.005). Degree of stenosis, stenosis length, residual lumen, and ICA flow post-stenting were not predictive of ipsilateral MCA flow ( P =0.65,0.37,0.25,0.79). The ratio of ipsilateral to contralateral ICA flow improved from 0.67 +/- 0.36 at baseline to 0.94 +/- 0.34 after stenting ( P =0.007). The ratio of ipsilateral to contralateral MCA flow was 1.08 +/- 0.59 at baseline, and was unchanged at 1.09 +/- 0.46 after stenting ( P =0.91). Conclusions: ICA flow compromise was evident in the setting of carotid stenosis, which improved by 43% on average post stenting. Improvement in residual lumen at the site of stenosis was the strongest predictor of increased flow, indicating that this parameter is the best indicator of a hemodynamically successful intervention. Unlike ICA flow, intracranial flow measured in the MCA was not significantly compromised at baseline compared to the contralateral hemisphere, nor significantly altered after stenting. This reflects compensatory intracranial collateral supply pre-stenting, which redistributes once the ipsilateral ICA is revascularized.