Objective: High residual stenosis after endovascular treatment was a risk factor for postoperative stenosis in athletic patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis. This study investigated the factors influencing the residual stenosis rate after endovascular interventional therapy for symptomatic carotid artery stenosis.

Methods: This study involved 337 athletic patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis (191 in a residual stenosis group and 186 in a non-residual stenosis group). To obtain differences in distribution between residual and non-residual stenosis groups, the variables of baseline information were dichotomized by median value and compared by chi-square test. In addition, we screened the categorical variables for each risk factor by a single-factor linear regression model and then determined the final influencing factors by the stepwise regression model.

Results: Among the 377 athletic patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis, 191 (50.66%) developed residual stenosis after interventional recanalization procedures. Analysis of single-factor linear regression model showed that age and NLR were statistically significant (P<0.05) even during the continuous change in residual stenosis rate, and there was a positive correlation between them. Stepwise regression analysis showed that age and NLR were positive correlated with the occurrence of residual stenosis after excluding possible confounding factors, which was consistent with the results of the single-factor linear regression model (P<0.05).

Conclusion: NLR, as a notable predictor of inflammation, had an important predictive value for the occurrence of residual stenosis after EVT. In addition, age of athletic patients also increased the risk of residual stenosis to some extent.