Studies in Intracranial Stenting: We Must Not Retire from the Game of Science

The Federal Joint Committee of Germany commissioned the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) to prepare a "rapid report" on intracranial stenting that was released to the public on 9 October 2014. The report concludes "... the risk of having another stroke is higher if patients ... not only receive clot-inhibiting drugs, but also have ... stents inserted. However, studies have provided no hint of a benefit from stenting..." [1]. This report is the result of a strictly pre-defined literature review done by independent scientists, and its conclusions mainly rest on the results of the Stenting and Aggressive Medical Management for Preventing Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Stenosis (SAMMPRIS) study [2, 3]. The data as such cannot be questioned. However, the interpretation of the results can be, and even more so, the conclusions, drawn from the data. They do not apply to the specific patient group that is typically treated with intracranial stenting in most German ce ...