Abstract: Objective To investigate the feasibility of prepositioning covered stent in the carotid artery model of sheep and surgically removing the invaded carotid artery at the place where the invaded carotid artery was presumed to be.
Methods The carotid artery of 10 healthy sheep was selected, and the stent was placed in the place where the carotid artery was supposed to be invaded through the common iliac artery. The carotid artery area covered by the stent was cut open, and part of the artery wall covered by the stent was removed. The bleeding and loosening of the stent were observed in the operation area. The consciousness and activity of experimental animals were recorded by observing whether there was bleeding, leakage, distortion, looseness and displacement of stent in the operation area.
Results There was no local bleeding, except for one case where the stent was twisted after implantation, the remaining 9 stent grafts were successfully released, and the technical success rate was 90%. No complications occurred during the operation. The whole arterial wall covered by the stent graft was successfully removed during the operation, and the stent was well fixed during the operation. After the operation, the vital signs of the sheep were stable, without hemiplegia and limb movement disorders, and there was no bleeding or swelling in the covered stent area. The imaging equipment showed no bleeding and leakage in the operation area, and the stent remained stable in place, without distortion, loosening and displacement. At 12 hours after surgery, the area of the sheep's carotid artery stent graft was explored without bleeding or stent displacement. No postoperative dyskinesia, eating and behavioral abnormalities were observed in the sheep. The imaging equipment showed that the stent was placed stably, without loosening, twisting and displacement, and blood circulation was smooth. After 6 months of follow-up, the results of angiography showed that one case had thrombosis in the stent and the remaining 8 cases had no thrombosis. All sheep survived during follow-up without serious complications such as hemiplegia and vascular rupture.
Conclusion The combination of covered stents and surgical treatment is one of the effective methods for head and neck cancer invading carotid artery.

Key words: Head and Neck Neoplasms； Stent graft, Sheep model