According to The New York Times, the growing popularity of carotid stents as an alternative to non-invasive techniques for the treatment of carotid blockages is raising questions. The procedure, which won FDA approval last year, is generally portrayed by device companies and surgeons as a low-risk operation. New data calls that argument into question. Critics like Northwestern University's Dr. Mark J. Albert also wonder if the procedure is driving healthcare costs up and making "the problem of overtreatment worse."
- see this article from The New York Times