Background: Carotid artery stenting (CAS) from the femoral approach can be anatomically very difficult and the incidence of complications is higher in patients with anatomical variations of the aortic arch, difficulties related to peripheral vascular disease and/or with access site complications. Because the typical morphology in patients with a bovine- or type-III aortic arch applies for an arterial access from the right upper extremity (e.g. radial, brachial) we evaluated success rates and safety of the right transradial access in a prospective study.
Patients and methods: Between June 2009 and October 2010, seventeen patients (mean age 74,4 ± 9 years, 10 male) with a bovine- (n = 4) or type-III aortic arch (n = 12) underwent CAS with a planned transradial- (n = 3) or after problematic transfemoral access (n = 14). In patients with a type-III aortic arch (n = 13), the right target common carotid artery (CCA) was cannulated from the right radial artery with a 5F IMA diagnostic catheter-, in patients with a bovine aortic arch (n = 4), the left CCA was accessed from the right radial artery with a 5F Amplatz- or Judkins left catheter. In all patients a 6F- (n = 14) or 5F- (n = 3) shuttle sheath was inserted via the diagnostic catheter and a 0.035 extra-stiff guidewire. All interventions were carried out with the use of a peripheral embolization protection device (EPD). Primary study endpoints were procedural success and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), secondary endpoints were access site complications and the mean intervention time.
Results: Procedural success could be achieved in all patients (100 %), MACCE and access site complications did not occur in any patient. Mean interventional time was 48 ± 18 min.
Conclusions: CAS using the right transradial approach for left CAS in bovine-type aortic arch or the right transradial approach in type-III aortic arch for right CAS appears to be safe and technically feasible.