title: Contemporary results of carotid endarterectomy.
abstract: Forty-four patients underwent fifty carotid endarterectomies in the first eighteen months of a new solo practice of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery in Montgomery. Thirty-six of the patients (82%) were symptomatic. Important operative details including continuous EEG monitoring, "selective" shunting, "open" endarterectomy and complete heparinization were employed throughout the study. There were no deaths and no strokes. Two patients (4%) had transient cranial nerve palsy and one patient (2%) had a transient ischemic attack consisting of dysarthria. One patient (2%) had a wound hematoma requiring reoperation. These results, in light of recent medical trials and randomized medical and surgical studies, encourage the continued place of carotid endarterectomy in the treatment of significant carotid disease in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.
authors.affiliation: Montgomery Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, Alabama 36104.
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Richardson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000407:Alabama; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged