BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Prognosis after carotid endarterectomy is mainly determined by the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). Optimal medical treatment to reduce risk is the mainstay of MACE prevention. The level of risk of MACE may determine the initiation and aggressiveness of medical treatment, yet a prediction rule to assess that absolute MACE risk after carotid endar...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To compare perioperative and midterm results of carotid artery stenting (CAS) versus carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in similar cohorts of patients, a retrospectively matched case-control study was performed. METHODS Three hundred and one case subjects undergoing CAS with cerebral protection and 301 concurrent matched-controls undergoing CEA were examined. Matching was by ...

A PERIOPERATIVE STROKE is one which occurs intraoperatively or in the several days following an operation. It occurs in 0.3% of general surgical patients, in about 1% of patients undergoing peripheral vascular reconstruction (PVR), and in 1-5% of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). An aggressive approach to the detection, evaluation and treatment of asymptomatic cervical...

A best evidence topic in cardiovascular surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether asymptomatic significant carotid artery stenosis (ASCAS) warrants carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. 128 Papers were found using the reported search, of these 10 presented represent the best evidence to answer the clinical question....

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis who are candidates for carotid endarterectomy are at high short- and long-term risk of coronary events. To stratify patients at different risk of coronary events we investigated the usefulness of a noninvasive preoperative cardiological workup. METHODS We studied 172 consecutive patients admitted to the Neurosurgical Department...

Currently coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the most commonly used procedure for revascularization of coronary heart disease. However it may not be suitable for the patients with diffuse coronary artery lesions, for which endarterectomy is a way but it’s not feasible to thin coronary artery without inner lumen or to the immature plaque. In this case, it may be a proper therapeutic optio...