title: Carotid artery disease practice guidelines for the general practitioner.
abstract: Carotid artery disease is a major public health concern. Cost-effective screening can be effected in a certain cohort of patients, especially if the referring physician uses vascular laboratories with expert technologists. Once the grade of stenosis, plaque morphology, and the patient's life expectancy and co-morbid conditions are known, the physician can offer the patient the safest therapeutic option. If the patient is a surgical candidate, it is important for the general practitioner to remember that the efficacy of carotid surgery is a balance between the risk of the surgeon versus the risk of the plaque Patient selection for low risk and surgeon selection for good track record should be secured before subjecting the patient to surgical intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, American University of Beirut-Medical Center.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Khalil
mesh_terms: D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005194:Family Practice; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D018579:Patient Selection; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors