Abstract Background: Occlusion of the internal carotid artery can lead to ischemic stroke. Currently, first-line treatment options for ischemic stroke include antiplatelet agents, lipid-regulating drugs, plaque-stabilizing medications, and comprehensive management of risk factors. Nevertheless, advancements in medical technology and materials have introduced various methods to reopen occluded internal carotid arteries. However, there remains a lack of high-level evidence-based support for these interventions. Case presentation: In this case report, we present a patient with internal carotid artery occlusion who presented with a half-month history of blurred vision in the left eye, which had worsened over the preceding 24 hours. The occluded vessel was successfully recanalized via endovascular intervention, leading to complete resolution of the patient’s visual symptoms. Conclusion: For patients with long-segment occlusion of the internal carotid artery, endovascular treatment can be considered, but its success rate needs to be evaluated comprehensively based on multiple factors to achieve individualized and precise treatment. In the future, it is necessary to conduct randomized controlled trials to further compare the efficacy and safety of endovascular treatment combined with drug therapy and drug therapy alone for symptomatic non-acute internal carotid artery occlusion patients.
Lin et al. (2025) studied this question.