Asymptomatic carotid stenosis in patients undergoing major cardiac surgery: can percutaneous carotid angioplasty be an alternative?

OBJECTIVE As the mortality associated with coronary artery bypass grafts has fallen, morbidity has become an increasing problem. The improvement of transluminal carotid angioplasty is enlarged to patients with asymptomatic severe carotid stenosis (> 85%) requiring coronary surgery. METHODS Between January 1993 and January 1995, 10 patients underwent percutaneous carotid angioplasty prior to cardiac surgery (17.4 days). Mean age was 71 +/- 4.3 years. Four patients showed a contralateral occlusion of the internal carotid artery. Transluminal carotid angioplasty was carried out with a triple coaxial catheter system. Six angioplasties required a Strecker stent. RESULTS Mean follow-up was 11.4 months. No mortality was observed. Only one patient showed a transient hemianopsia. All patients underwent angiography at four months. Two patients required a new procedure of carotid angioplasty completed with a Strecker stent in one case and by dilatation of a stent in another patient. CONCLUSION The results of transluminal carotid angioplasty, in this short series, are encouraging in this group of high-risk morbidity and mortality (elderly patients, bilateral carotid lesions, multiple coronary arterial grafts).