My patient has intracranial stenosis, does he need an intracerebral stent? Results of the SAMMPRIS study

Why is this study important? Atherosclerotic stenosis of the major intracranial arteries is one of the most common causes of stroke worldwide. It causes 30% to 50% of strokes in Asians and 8% to 10% of strokes in North American Caucasians. Intracranial atherosclerosis preferentially affects Asians, Hispanics, Far East Asians and Blacks. Patients with a recent transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or stroke and severe stenosis (70 to 99% of the diameter of a major intracranial artery) are at particularly high risk for recurrent stroke in the territory of the stenotic artery (approximately 23% at 1 year).