Introduction

Stroke represents the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in developed countries. Carotid artery disease is common in the elderly population and is a major risk factor of cerebral ischemia and necrosis. Therefore, carotid artery revascularization seems to be an important therapeutic method with a potentially large impact on the incidence of cerebrovascular events and related mortality.

This issue of International Journal of Angiology aims to answer the question “What is the best management of patients with carotid artery disease?” This topic is still widely debated and there are more questions than reliable answers. Therefore, readers of this issue will read articles about carotid plaque composition, the optimal use of imaging methods in the carotid area, pathophysiology of atherosclerosis in this field, therapeutic use of statins, carotid revascularization with stent implantation, or carotid endarterectomy.

We hope this special issue might be of interest for our readers.