Critique of “Stenting Versus Aggressive Medical Therapy for Intracranial Arterial Stenosis” by Chimowitz et al in the New England Journal of Medicine

Symptomatic intracranial stenoses are an important cause of stroke and have a high risk of recurrent stroke with medical therapy. The Stenting and Aggressive Medical Management for Preventing Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Arterial Stenosis (SAMMPRIS) trial unexpectedly showed a higher-than-expected rate of complications with intracranial stenting and a lower-than-expected recurrence rate with medical therapy. In this commentary, the authors review possible explanations for these findings and suggest future strategies for study.