title: Operative and long-term results of staged contralateral carotid endarterectomy: a personal series.
abstract: The operative risks as well as the proper interval for patients undergoing staged contralateral carotid endarterectomies remain uncertain. The long-term incidence of stroke after bilateral carotid endarterectomy is also poorly documented. In this report the results of staged contralateral carotid endarterectomies performed by one surgeon in a consecutive series of 89 patients are analyzed. No deaths occurred after a first or contralateral carotid endarterectomy. Four (4%) neurologic deficits (three minor and one major) occurred after a first operation, whereas only one (1%) major neurologic deficit occurred after a contralateral carotid endarterectomy. Postendarterectomy hypertension was noted in 33 (37%) patients after a first operation, and in 62 (70%) patients after a contralateral carotid endarterectomy (p less than 0.00001). No correlation existed among the intervals between carotid operations and the incidence or duration of hypertension after a contralateral carotid endarterectomy. From our results we conclude that the staged contralateral carotid endarterectomy can be safely performed with a stroke-mortality rate approaching 1%. Postendarterectomy hypertension, although more frequent after the contralateral operation as compared with the first operation, has no correlation with the interval between procedures. After a staged bilateral carotid endarterectomy, only one (1%) patient experienced transient ischemic attack symptoms, but five (6%) patients suffered late stroke (four fatal).
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Morrow
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Espada
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Howell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D004691:Endarterectomy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors