Comparison between local and general anesthesia for carotid endarterectomy: early and late results.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the results between general and local anesthesia (LA) for carotid endarterectomy (CEA).


METHODS
Three hundred and twenty-nine patients in whom 365 CEA procedures were performed between January 1990 and September 2001, were included in this study.


RESULTS
Operation time, shunt usage rates, hospitalization time (P < .0001), and permanent stroke rates (P < .05) were significantly lower in group with LA. For long-term period (121.3 ± 37.45 vs 98.6 ± 28.98 months), no significant difference was observed in these 2 group with respect to restenosis rates, neurological events, and deaths.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the lack of significant difference between LA and general anesthesia in terms of restenosis, neurological events, and death in the long-term period; LA is more preferable due its associated advantages including availability of testing the consciousness of the patients by direct contact, reduced use of shunts, shorter hospitalization periods, and less prevalence of permanent stroke in the short-term period.
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Medicana Hospitals Çamlıca, İstanbul, Turkey. onurgurermd@yahoo.com
Onur
O
Gürer
Fikri
F
Yapıcı
Nihan
N
Yapıcı
Azmi
A
Özler
Ömer
Ö
Işık
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D000772:Anesthesia, Local / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014421:Turkey