title: Fifty years of carotid surgery--hail and farewell?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The operation of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has had an eventful 50 years.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This report reviews the literature comparing the outcome of CEA with that of medical therapy, angioplasty and stenting.
  
  
  METHODS
  A review of the published randomised trials.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After 50 years, CEA is still the gold standard in the management of severe symptomatic carotid artery disease. It is doubtful, however, that in another 50 years it will continue to retain that pre-eminence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Midwestern Regional Hospital and the University of Limerick, Ireland.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Grace
mesh_terms: D017130:Angioplasty; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015607:Stents; D016896:Treatment Outcome