[Diagnostic and therapeutic management of pseudo-occlusions of the carotid artery].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic attitude and the results obtained after surgery in cases of pseudo occlusions of the carotid artery.


METHODS
Between 1995 and 2000, 13 cases of pseudo occlusion of the internal carotid artery were performed (3.06% of carotid surgery carried out). Diagnostic criteria were as follows. Echo Doppler: complete occlusion with its origin in the internal carotid artery, damped distal signal; arteriography: occlusion with its origin in the internal carotid artery, filiform distal part, string sign. Clinical presentation was: 53.84% cerebral infarction, 23.07% TIA and 23.07% were asymptomatic. The 13 patients were submitted to echo Doppler and nine were examined using arteriography. Two patients were operated on without arteriography because of unstable neurological clinical features. A surgical exploration was performed in 100% of the cases.


RESULTS
In seven cases, revascularisation of the internal carotid artery was carried out (53.84%) and in six cases it was ligated (46.16%). Echographic monitoring (from 1 4 years, average 2 years) showed permeability in the seven revascularised cases; in one case restenosis was detected between 31 50% at 2 years follow up. In the clinical controls (from 2 months to 4 years, average 30 months), one patient who was not revascularised was seen to have symptoms of TIA at one year and two months.


CONCLUSIONS
Since neither arteriography nor echo Doppler can predict when it will be possible to revascularise the internal carotid artery, and because we did not observe an increase in surgical morbidity mortality, we believe surgical exploration is useful. In our study 53.84% of the series were successfully revascularised.
Solanich-Valldaura
T
T
Servicio de Angiología, Hospital General Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, España. 33959tsv@comb.es
Allegue-Allegue
N
N
Araño-Heredero
C
C
Samsó
J J
JJ
Escribano-Ferrer
J M
JM
Matas-Docampo
M
M
D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007238:Infarction / Q000209:etiology; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged