Preliminary Neuropsychological Outcomes of Angioplasty and Stenting of Extracranial Cerebral Arteries

Preliminary evaluation of the neuropsychological status of three Chinese-speaking patients receiving angioplasty and stenting of extracranial cerebral arteries showed no significant decline in their performance on cognitive tasks measuring (1) memory function, verbal and nonverbal memory, (2) attention, and (3) cognitive processing speed. Although angioplasty and stenting of extracranial cerebral arteries did not appear associated with detrimental changes in the cognitive status of the two patients completing all cognitive tasks, their relation must be confirmed as a neuropsychologically safe measure for reducing the risk of stroke in Chinese with significant extracranial cerebral artery stenosis by a randomized controlled study with a much larger sample.