Background: Major aortic surgery carries a high risk of stroke. Carotid artery occlusive disease (CAOD) has been identified as one of the contributing risk factors. Regarding the long-term prevention of stroke, carotid endartectomy (CEA) seems to be superior to the best medical treatment in patients with high-grade CAOD. However, the role of CEA prior to major aortic surgery has not been studied.
Design: Prospective study, observational design.
Subjects and setting: 201 patients referred to a community hospital for major aortic surgery.
Intervention: The patients were non-invasively screened by continuous-wave and duplex Doppler ultrasonography for the presence of CAOD. In 41 patients with angiographically confirmed high-grade CAOD, CEA was performed prior to major aortic surgery.
Main outcome measure: Combined mortality and major morbidity from CEA and abdominal aortic surgery.
Results: There was no mortality or morbidity related to CEA. Total perioperative mortality related to major aortic reconstruction was 3.5%. No new perioperative focal neurologic deficits occurred except for one fatal stroke in a patient in whom CEA had been judged not to be indicated.
Conclusions: CEA can be performed safely prior to major aortic surgery resulting in excellent overall neurologic outcome in patients with high-grade CAOD. We propose that patients scheduled for major aortic surgery be screened for the presence of high-grade CAOD and that CEA be performed first, if indicated according to published guidelines.