The use of carotid stents to repair extracranial carotid stenosis has required the development of additional interpretation criteria when using duplex ultrasound to follow these arteries. Clinicians recommend re-intervention when progressive repair sites show 80% diameter reduction, along with confirmatory imaging studies [1]. This seems to be the recurrent disease level sonographers must be able to identify when following these patients postoperatively. Changes seen with duplex exams are able to classify findings as "normal", consistent with Intimal hyperplasia, evidence of stent remodeling or re-stenosis in the stent.

The duplex technique and gray scale/spectral information most helpful in interpreting the above findings will be described in this talk. Various criteria used will be presented.

1. Armstrong PA; Bandyk DF. Duplex ultrasound Surveillance after Carotid Stent Angioplasty: When to Follow-up and What to look for. Vascular Disease Management; Vol. 4 #3. May 2007.