New strategies in the medical treatment of carotid artery disease

Most patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack are screened for internal carotid artery stenosis. Although it is important to identify candidates for endarterectomy or stenting, the clinician must realize that most patients are not candidates for revascularization. Therefore, medical therapy remains the cornerstone of treatment. In this article, current thinking on medical therapy for carotid atherosclerosis is outlined, including aggressive use of statins, targeted blood pressure lowering, and antithrombotic therapy. Implementation of these therapies will likely reduce the need for revascularization procedures in the future.