Melhem Sharafuddin, MD, provides expertise in pursuit of innovative therapies and translational research. He was the first in the area to offer fenestrated stent-graft technology and became a national leader in the continued evolution of physician-modified fenestrated aortic endografts.
Under the direction of Sharafuddin, multiple clinical trials are under way related to vascular repair procedures and technology—including IDE (investigational device exemption) trials in the areas of peripheral vascular disease and aortic aneurysm.
The UI is the only site in Iowa participating in the CREST-2 (Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting) Trial and its companion trial, CREST-H, which is evaluating hemodynamics of carotid disease.
Funded by NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the CREST-2 trial was designed to compare three different methods of stroke prevention for patients with carotid artery disease: intensive medical management, intensive medical management in combination with a carotid endarterectomy, or intensive medical management in combination with carotid artery stenting.