Stent recommended to prevent strokes

A panel of scientific experts cautiously approved a new stent Wednesday that is intended to prevent strokes by opening a channel in either of the two arteries that feed the brain.

Stents, small mesh-like tubes, have been used for a decade to prop open plaque-plugged coronary arteries. The devices are put in place by a catheter threaded through the groin and guided to the plugged site.

Doctors who have participated in clinical trials of the device say placing the tiny props in one of the two carotid arteries is less invasive than a 50-year-old surgical procedure, carotid endarterectomy, in which the artery is opened and plaque is scraped away from interior walls. About 200,000 Americans a year undergo the surgery.

Sharon Snider, spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration, said the 14-member panel, made up of experts from around the United States, provided the recommendation on which the agency will make its decision. Snider could not say Wednesday when the FDA will have a final answer.

The panel emphasized that the device should be used only in high-risk patients. Panelists also underscored that the device should be used with an attachment that catches clots and bits of plaque that break away during insertion.