ABSTRACT
It is estimated that more than 700,000 strokes occur in the United States annually,
and stroke remains the third leading cause of death. As many as 20% of strokes are
due to carotid artery disease. Approaches to therapy include surgery and stenting
in appropriate settings, but medical therapy is a critical aspect of management of
carotid artery disease. Best medical therapy for carotid stenosis has evolved in recent
years and clinicians can now employ newer antiplatelet agents, aggressive use of statins,
and targeted blood pressure reduction. Application of this multimodal cocktail holds
promise for reducing vascular events in patients with carotid artery disease and may
reduce the need for revascularization procedures.
KEYWORDS
Carotid artery disease - antiplatelet drugs - statins - antihypertensive therapy -
angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors
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Seemant ChaturvediM.D.
Department of Neurology and Stroke Program, Wayne State University
8C-UHC, 4201 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI 48201
