Postmortem pathological examination of a case one month after carotid artery stenting.

SUMMARY: There have been few pathological reports on human carotid stenting. A 73-year-old diabetic male with 80% stenosis in the left carotid bifurcation. Despite no neurological events, he died of pneumonia one month after. Findings pathological examination revealed: successful dilatation without deformity of the stent, eccentric compression and partial disruption of the plaque by struts, thrombi around disrupted plaque, and neointimal growth. Findings were generally compatible with those reported on coronary stenting. Case accumulation is required to clarify an exact pathological process and establish a procedure to reduce complications.