Stent carotídeo

this work is a review on the carotid obstructive disease and aspects about diagnostic and therapeutical approaches. we focus on atherosclerosis, its epidemiologic relevance in a near future, as well as its impact on morbidity and mortality and its consequences in mexico. we emphasize the importance of clinical diagnosis and non-invasive diagnostic tests; also, the fact that the control of risk factors is the core of the strategy to follow, as well as pharmacologic therapy with antiplatelet agents and lipidlowering drugs. surgical treatment is the traditional therapeutical approach in selected patients, where it has proved to diminish both morbidity and mortality. nowadays, endovascular treatment with stents has be come more popular. the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches based on the results from several studies that compare them are discussed. the most important and recent studies regarding the techological advances of stents and distal antiembolic protection systems including immediate and longterm results, are shown. finally, some guidelines concering technical aspects for the accurate performance of the procedure are given. this work is only the authors view and recommendations on this pathology's diagnostic and therapeutical approaches, and does not attempt to be stablished as an standard procedure.