CREST Expanded to Include Asymptomatic Patients, Additional Sites

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey has announced an expansion in scope of the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting Trial (CREST) study to include asymptomatic participants, and the addition of participating trial sites from 70 to 110.

Sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the NIH, CREST is a randomized clinical trial to evaluate -- in patients who are at normal risk for surgery -- the efficacy of carotid artery stenting as compared to carotid endarterectomy (carotid surgery) in preventing stroke, myocardial infarction and death in the 30-day period immediately following the procedures, and ipsilateral stroke (occurring on the same side of the brain in which the stent was placed) during a multiyear follow-up period.

Previous to January 2005, only participants with symptomatic carotid disease were included in the randomized arm of CREST.