Evolution of carotid atheromatous lesions in endarterectomized patients.
A noninvasive follow-up using duplex ultrasonography was conducted in 128 patients who had undergone carotid endarterectomy from January 1987 to December 1988. Repeated scans of the operated area revealed a distinct increase in thickened ultrasonographic features (32% vs 8%), and a stenosing lesion was detected in 8 patients. There was also a parallel increase in the number of subjects with thicknesses of the intima adjacent to the endarterectomy area exceeding 2.5 mm. In 7% of cases, dilatation was detected in the operated area and in 27% the margin of the area was raised. The study also dealt with the contralateral carotid artery, where a progression of atheromatous involvement was observed with an increased number of cases of hemodynamically significant stenosis and 3 cases of occlusion. Periodic duplex ultrasonography in endarterectomized patients proves useful for the early detection of hemodynamically significant stenoses or of structural features potentially capable of generating emboli.
Arosio
E
E
Institute of Clinical Medicine, Verona University, Italy.
Pancera
P
P
Arcaro
G
G
Priante
F
F
Scuro
A
A
Perbellini
A
A
Lechi
A
A
D000368:Aged; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D004691:Endarterectomy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014463:Ultrasonography