Medical device maker Covidien (NYSE:COV) touted 2-year study results demonstrating the safety and efficacy of its Solitaire FR revascularization system, combating another recently published study that questioned whether devices like Solitaire in provide long-term benefits to stroke patients.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Mixed results for stents in two clinical studies looking at strokes
A pair of clinical trials comparing whether stents or carotid surgery is more effective at preventing strokes have yielded markedly different results.
Findings released Feb. 26 from a study sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, with funding from Abbott Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:ABT), indicate that using stents to open clogged arteries in the neck is equally effective at preventing stroke as surgical procedures, where fatty deposits are “stripped” from the primary artery leading to the head and brain.