title: Fate of the non-operated carotid artery after contralateral endarterectomy.
abstract: The long-term fate of the non-operated internal carotid artery (ICA) in 219 patients undergoing contralateral carotid endarterectomy was studied; 151 patients underwent serial postoperative imaging of the vessel. Cumulative freedom from stroke in the non-operated hemisphere was 99, 96 and 86 per cent at 1, 5 and 10 years respectively, giving a mean incidence of stroke of 1 per cent per annum. Only one stroke was preceded by a transient ischaemic attack and no stroke was associated with severe (70 per cent or greater) stenosis of the ICA. Ten patients (7 per cent) with initially mild or moderate disease of the non-operated ICA progressed to severe stenosis during follow-up, but only three became symptomatic and, in each case, the onset of symptoms preceded recognition of disease progression. The long-term risk of stroke in the non-operated ICA territory is very small. Of practical importance is that none of the observed strokes could have been prevented by postoperative surveillance of this type.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Naylor
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Howlett
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gillespie
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Allan
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Ruckley
mesh_terms: D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000601:surgery; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000209:etiology; D002423:Cause of Death; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D018450:Disease Progression; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate