FIG 1. Anteroposterior views of the left carotid artery bifurcation.

A, Acute dissection involving the proximal internal carotid artery. The true lumen is severely narrowed (arrow), with early pseudoaneurysm formation.

B and C, Position of the first SMART stent, the inferior margin of which projects across the internal carotid artery lumen (small arrow). The long thin arrow indicates where the catheters were temporarily caught in the stent interstices (see Discussion).

D and E, Final appearances after deployment of a second SMART stent, inferiorly and overlapping the first. The second stent crosses the external carotid artery origin, which nonetheless continues to opacify normally.