ABSTRACT
This chapter provides addition detail about cerebral angiography as it applies to carotid stenting. It focuses on four areas where increased knowledge will facilitate carotid angioplasty and stent placement. These include: cerebral catheters, intracranial arteriography, managing intracranial pathology, and angiographic considerations for planning carotid stent placement. The operator must get used to cannulation of the arch branches by either advancing the complex curve catheter from the descending aorta or withdrawing the catheter from the ascending aorta. Catheter placement for intracranial arteriography is usually in the common carotid artery, well proximal to the bifurcation, when extracranial cerebrovascular disease is the indication for the procedure. However, consider the fact that refusal to participate in carotid arteriography denies selected current patients the opportunity to benefit from carotid stent placement and denies the practitioner an opportunity to participate in the future treatment of carotid disease.
