Meta-analysis of the Effect of Stent Design on 30-Day Outcome After Carotid Artery Stenting

Purpose: To review the contemporary literature and analyze whether stent cell design plays a role in 30-day outcomes after carotid artery stenting (CAS). Methods: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken that identified 9 studies comparing the effect of different cell design on 30-day outcome in patients undergoing CAS. Random-effects models were applied to calculate pooled outcome data for mortality and cerebrovascular morbidity. Results are reported as the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The 9 studies included 8018 patients who underwent 8028 CAS procedures (4018 open-cell stents, 4010 closed-cell stents). Six studies were retrospective in design, one was a registry, and only two studies prospectively compared the effect of different cell designs. Nearly half of the patients (3452, 43.1%) were symptomatic, with no significant difference between the closed- and open-cell stent groups (p=0.93). During the first month after the procedure, there were no significant differences in mortality (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.24, p=0.21), transient ischemic attacks (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.30, p=0.74), or strokes (OR 1.17, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.66, p=0.37). Conclusion: This meta-analysis showed that 30-day cerebrovascular complications after CAS were not significantly different for the open-cell group in comparison to the closed-cell group. Future prospective clinical trials comparing different free cell areas and other stent design properties are still needed to further investigate whether stent design plays a significant role in the results of carotid stenting.