Patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis who underwent carotid artery stenting (CAS) had a greater but temporary decrease in blood pressure in the first few days after treatment than did patients who underwent carotid endarterectory, an analysis of the randomized International Carotid Stenting Study found. But fewer patients in the CAS group were taking antihypertensive medications at one-year follow-up, suggesting CAS may lessen the need for such drugs. The findings were published online Oct. 13 in Stroke.

Does the Get with the Guidelines Stroke program improve outcomes? A study published in the October issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes found that while hospitals participating in this program may increase the number of ischemic stroke patients treated and improve the quality of care provided, it remains unknown whether performance improvements resulted in meaningful changes in outcomes for stroke patients.

Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency was found to be linked to multiple sclerosis (MS) in a meta-analysis published Oct. 3 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. However, the researchers noted that the results may not  provide definitive conclusions due to poor reporting of the success of blinding and heterogeneity within studies included in the meta-analysis.

As carotid artery stenting (CAS) use becomes more prevalent, particularly with expanded indications, a study published Sept. 28 in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that lower operating volume and early experience increased 30-day mortality rates in older patients. In an accompanying editorial, Ethan A. Halm, MD, MPH, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, wrote that while the current study showed that practice makes perfect, it also may have demonstrated that physicians may be practicing [CAS] too much.

Most abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) rarely give warnings and the chances of surviving a ruptured AAA are slim. Most AAAs are found during routine ultrasound exams, but new screening initiatives may help better identify at-risk patients.

Integrating comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation programs into clinical practice can be beneficial for patients who have experienced a transient ischemic attack or a mild, non-disabling stroke, according to a study published Sept. 22 in Stroke.

Aggressive medical management of high-risk stroke patients proved superior to percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting (PTAS) combined with aggressive therapy in preventing a second stroke, according to a study published online Sept. 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Both the risk of stroke after stenting and the benefits of the medical management strategy were much higher than researchers anticipated, the lead author told Cardiovascular Business in an interview.

In a setback in the fight against stoke, federal researchers reported Sept. 1 that the rate of hospitalizations for ischemic stroke in children and young adults rose between 1995 and 2008. The study also found that risk factors for stroke increased in this age group. Results were published in the September issue of the Annals of Neurology.