Sally Mark was a perfect candidate for a carotid stenting clinical trial run by Dr. William H. Julien of Northwest Medical Center in Margate.

"It's like magic," said Marc, who lives in Tamarac and participated in the trial, which is for those who have carotid narrowing but are considered high-risk for surgery.

Mark, 76, previously had surgery done on one of the carotid arteries, which completely closed up after the procedure. The carotid artery on the other side was 90% clogged.

"If the other (artery) would have closed up too, then I'm gone" said Mark who was afraid to have another surgery and did the invasive procedure with Dr. Julien on Aug. 2. "He more or less saved my life."

The carotid arteries, located on the side of the neck, carry blood to the brain; the narrowing of these arteries because of plaque buildup is one of main causes of strokes.

The traditional treatment for this condition is carotid endarterectomy or CEA, which has gotten good results but is not perfect.

Julien specializes in interventional radiology, a rapidly growing area of medicine using minimally invasive targeted treatments that replace surgical procedures.

"It's a newer type of minimally invasive surgery," Julien said.

Instead of cutting people open to do bypasses, this surgery allows the doctor to do surgery through the bloodstream.

By putting a catheter, a tube smaller than spaghetti, inside the bloodstream through a tiny incision in the groin, Dr. Julien is able to navigate the tubes using X-rays to guide him.

In June 2001 Dr. Julien opened South Florida Vascular Associates at Northwest Medical Center and was chosen to head the BEACH trial in South Florida by the Boston Scientific Corporation. The trial includes a carotid stent to support the walls of the carotid arteries and allow blood flow. There are 40 clinical centers in the United States participating in the trial.

This coronay stenting procedure can produce strokes if particles escape into the bloodstream, so the trial uses a special embolic protection device that acts like a strainer to prevent this.

The hope is that this trial proves the procedure to be safe, with minimal risks of death from stroke, and that it is as effective as traditional surgery.

There are about five similar trials taking place, set up by different companies.

In November, Dr. Jay Yadav of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio released early results of its trial, which showed a 50% reduction in strokes, heart attacks and death compared to CEA.

"It showed better results than surgery in this group of patients that are considered high risk for surgery," Julien said. "I can't say the same thing about this trial until we get the results out."

Mark feels fortunate to have meet Dr. Julien, who she was initially referred to by her gastroenterologist for an inflammation in the stomach.

Coincidentally, she was considering going to New York to have this procedure done with the same doctor that trained Julien, but he told her about the trial and explained that she was a good candidate.

He is currently recruiting more qualified patients for the trial, which will probably run through May or June.

Mark didn't have to spend one penny, and she said the experience was much less traumatic than surgery.

She was awake during the procedure and has no scars. The only thing she said she got from the procedure is a clear artery and peace of mind.

"They told me to stay overnight, but I felt fine after the procedure and was able to leave the next day," Mark said. When she did the traditional surgery, she had to stay in the hospital for several days.

"This is the future. It's a wonderful feeling knowing I wasn't going to be cut," Mark said. "It's going to give me more years of life."