title: Craniocervical and aortic atherosclerosis as neurologic risk factors in coronary surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Advanced age is associated with increased systemic atherosclerosis and is a consistent neurologic risk factor after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied prospectively whether varying degrees of a total atherosclerotic score derived from the brain, carotid arteries, and ascending aorta predicted postoperative neuropsychologic (NP) dysfunction and stroke in 177 elderly patients (> or = 60 years) undergoing CABG.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Group L (low total atherosclerotic score) had rates of NP dysfunction of 25% and 4%, group I (intermediate) had rates of 33% and 22%, and group H (high) had rates of 79% and 43% on postoperative days 1 and 7, respectively (p < 0.001). The incidence of stroke was higher in group H (14.3%) than in groups I and L (7.8% and 0.9%; p = 0.013). Stepwise logistic regression analysis demonstrated the significant predictors of NP dysfunction on postoperative day 7 to be total atherosclerotic score, peripheral vascular disease, and diabetes mellitus, and those of stroke to be total atherosclerotic score, peripheral vascular disease, and hyperlipidemia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perioperative evaluation of craniocervical and aortic atherosclerosis is useful to identify a high-risk patient at postoperative NP dysfunction and stroke after CABG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Kumamoto Chuo Hospital, Japan. togoto@bronze.ocn.ne.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshitake
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ura
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sakata
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology