Carotid Artery Stenting for Carotid Artery Diseases

Inclusion Criteria Asymptomatic patients: Age ≥ 18 and ≤ 80 and any one of the following 1. ≥70% stenosis, standard surgical risk for CEA 2. ≥70% stenosis, high anatomic risk for CEA 3. ≥70% stenosis, high physiologic risk for CEA Symptomatic patients: Symptomatic patients are defined by the following characteristics: Ipsilateral carotid Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), with neurologic symptoms persisting less than 24 hours; Ipsilateral non-disabling stroke: Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≤ 3; and Ipsilateral transient monocular blindness: amaurosis fugax. \[Source: current Medicare NCD for CAS\] Age ≥ 18 and ≤ 80 and any one of the following 1. ≥50% stenosis, standard surgical risk for CEA 2. 50% to 69% stenosis, high anatomic risk for CEA 3. 50% to 69% stenosis, high physiologic risk 4. ≥70% stenosis, high anatomic and/or physiologic risk for CEA - currently covered by Medicare, but sites are strongly encouraged to voluntarily include these patients in C2R 5. ≥70% stenosis, post-CEA and -CAS - currently covered by Medicare, but sites are strongly encouraged to voluntarily include these patients in C2R 6. ≥70% stenosis, post-irradiation - currently covered by Medicare, but sites are strongly encouraged to voluntarily include these patients in C2R Exclusion Criteria: Patients with any one of the following conditions are ineligible for enrollment in C2R 1. NYHA Class IV CHF 2. COPD on chronic continuous oxygen therapy 3. Severe (Class Childs D) liver failure 4. End-stage renal failure requiring dialysis 5. Cancer with metastatic spread and/or undergoing active chemotherapeutic treatment 6. Any dementia considered greater than "mild"