Footnotes

• Competing interests Lin, Morr, Natarajan: none. Hopkins: grant/research support-Toshiba; consultant-Abbott, Boston Scientific, Cordis, Covidien; financial interests-AccessClosure, Apama, Augmenix, Axtria, Boston Scientific, Claret Medical Inc., Ellipse, Endomation, Medina Medical, NextPlain, Ostial Corporation, Photolitec, Silk Road, StimSox, ValenTx, Valor Medical; board/trustee/officer position-Claret Medical, Inc.; speakers' bureau-Abbott Vascular, Toshiba; honoraria-Complete Conference Management, Cordis, Covidien, Memorial Healthcare System. Levy: shareholder/ownership interests–Intratech Medical Ltd., Blockade Medical LLC, Medina Medical. Principal investigator: Covidien US SWIFT PRIME Trials. Honoraria for training and lecturing–Covidien. Consultant–Pulsar, Medina Medical, Blockade Medical. Other financial support–Abbott for carotid training for physicians. Mokin: educational grant from Toshiba. Siddiqui: research grants (not related to present work)–National Institutes of Health (co-investigator: NINDS 1R01NS064592-01A1 and NIBIB 5RO1EB002873-07), University at Buffalo (Research Development Award); financial interests–Hotspur, Intratech Medical, StimSox, Valor Medical, Blockade Medical, Lazarus Effect; consultant–Codman & Shurtleff, Inc., Concentric Medical, Covidien Vascular Therapies, GuidePoint Global Consulting, Penumbra, Stryker Neurovascular, Pulsar Vascular; speakers' bureaus–Codman & Shurtleff, Genentech; National Steering Committees for Penumbra 3D Separator Trial, Covidien SWIFT PRIME Trial, MicroVention FRED Trial; advisory board–Codman & Shurtleff, Covidien Vascular Therapies; honoraria–Abbott Vascular and Codman & Shurtleff, Inc. for training other neurointerventionists in carotid stenting and for training physicians in endovascular stenting for aneurysms. Snyder: Boston Scientific: Research and stockholder; Cordis: Research and financial interest; EndoTex: Research and financial interest; Medtronic: Research and consultant support; Abbott Vascular: Research and consultant support; ev3: Research and consultant support; Toshiba: Research and consultant support; Micrus: research and consultant support and financial interest; Zimmer: Research and consultant support; Access Closure Inc.: Financial interest and stockholder; Niagara Gore Medical: Stockholder; EPI: Research and financial interest; Primus: Financial interest; Guidant: Research; Kerberos: Research

• Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.