| Endovascular therapies, such as carotid artery stenting (CAS), are quickly becoming a widespread alternative treatment for carotid artery occlusive disease. Due to concern for peri-procedural plaque embolization, distal protection filters (DPFs) have been developed to be capture and remove embolic debris generated during the intervention. The goal of this study is to quantitatively assess the patient-specific outcome following CAS based on a combination of clinical and engineering-derived variables. To accomplish this goal, three specific aims were pursued: in vitro performance assessment of distal protection filters, retrospective statistical analysis of patient outcome based on clinical variables, and the conceptual design of a novel cerebral protection device. Successful completion of this work yields a better understanding of the parameters that contribute to patient outcome following CAS, which include subject demographics and medical history, plaque composition, and design-related characteristics of distal protection filters. This understanding is utilized to develop a design concept of a new DPF. |
