• All News
• Consumer
• Pro
• New Drugs
• Pipeline
• Clinical Trials
• FDA Alerts

Balloon Angioplasty Lowers Risk for Composite Outcome in Intracranial Artery Stenosis

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

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

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.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted September 2024

More news resources

• FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
• Daily MedNews
• News for Health Professionals
• New Drug Approvals
• New Drug Applications
• Drug Shortages
• Clinical Trial Results
• Generic Drug Approvals

Subscribe to our newsletter

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