Skip to main content

Balloon Angioplasty Lowers Risk for Composite Outcome in Intracranial Artery Stenosis

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Sep 6, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Sept. 6, 2024 -- For patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (sICAS), balloon angioplasty plus aggressive medical management is associated with a lower risk for a composite outcome of any stroke or death, according to a study published online Sept. 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Xuan Sun, M.D., from Capital Medical University in Beijing, and colleagues conducted a randomized clinical trial involving patients aged 35 to 80 years with sICAS, defined as recent transient ischemic attack (<90 days) or ischemic stroke (14 to 90 days). Participants were randomly allocated to submaximal balloon angioplasty plus aggressive medical management or aggressive medical management alone (249 and 252 individuals, respectively).

The researchers found that the incidence of the primary outcome, a composite of any stroke or death within 30 days after enrollment or any ischemic stroke after 30 days through 12 months after enrollment, occurred in 4.4 and 13.5 percent of patients in the balloon angioplasty and medical management groups, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.32). The corresponding rates of any stroke or all-cause death within 30 days were 3.2 and 1.6 percent. The rates of any ischemic stroke in the qualifying artery territory were 0.4 and 7.5 percent, respectively, and revascularization of the qualifying artery occurred in 1.2 and 8.3 percent, respectively, beyond 30 days and through 12 months after enrollment.

"Balloon angioplasty plus aggressive medical management may be an effective treatment for sICAS, although the risk of stroke or death within 30 days of balloon angioplasty should be considered in clinical practice," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Adjunctive IV Argatroban, Eptifibatide Do Not Cut Disability After Stroke

FRIDAY, Sept. 6, 2024 -- Adjunctive treatment with intravenous argatroban or eptifibatide does not reduce poststroke disability among patients with acute ischemic stroke treated...

Low-Frequency rTMS Improves Urinary Incontinence After Stroke

TUESDAY, Sept. 3, 2024 -- Four weeks of low-frequency repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) positively impacts poststroke urinary incontinence, according to a study...

Black Patients Less Likely to Receive Diagnostic Testing in Emergency Department

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 28, 2024 -- Black patients are less likely than White patients with a nonspecific diagnosis of interest to receive related diagnostic testing in the emergency...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.