Early Carotid Endarterectomy after Intravenous Thrombolysis for Acute Ischaemic Stroke

After intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) for acute ischaemic stroke (AIS), a severe cervical internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis may remain and increase the risk of recurrent stroke. Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of stroke. However, it is not well known whether CEA can be performed safely after thrombolysis, and, if so, when. We report a prospective study of CEA for residual high-grade cervical ICA stenosis performed within 15 days after IVT for AIS.MethodsAll the patients had a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within 3 h of the stroke onset. One day after IVT in neurovascular unit, computed tomography (CT) angiography was performed to assess the brain and the patency of cervical arteries. CEA was performed on neurologically stable patients after full cerebral artery re-canalisation. Blood pressure was controlled with particular caution before and after CEA.ResultsBetween January 2005 and January 2008, we operated consecutively on 12 patients. Their median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 12 (range: 5–21). Combined intracranial (ICA)–middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion was present in 58.3% of the patients. The median time between onset of symptoms until CEA was 8 days (range: 1–16 days). Stroke and death rate at 30 days was 8.3% (one nonfatal haemorrhagic stroke). At 90 days, nine patients had a Rankin score of 0–1, one had a score of 2 and two had a score of 3.ConclusionIn patients with residual cervical ICA stenosis after IVT, we achieved full patency of the occluded artery and good functional prognosis at 3 months in all cases. We advocate for an extremely close monitoring of the blood pressure in the pre-, peri- and post-operative course and a close collaboration between neurologist and surgeon to determine the best timing for CEA.     

Early Carotid Endarterectomy in Selected Stroke Patients

Although there are several reports suggesting the safety of performing carotid endarterectomy (CE) within 4 weeks (early) of a nondisabling stroke, at many institutions it is not standard practice. Benefits of early surgery may include reduction in the number of strokes or carotid occlusions during the time between stroke and surgery, as well as a reduction in the cost of medical care due to the elimination of interval anticoagulation and close follow-up. This review examines the outcomes of early CE in selected patients after a nondisabling stroke. A total of 1065 CEs were performed between November 1991 and April 1998. Seventy-five patients were identified by computerized hospital record and office chart review as having CE after a nondisabling stroke. Criteria for early surgery included 1) nondisabling stroke ipsilateral to a carotid stenosis >50%, 2) neurological stability, and 3) no evidence of hemorrhagic stroke or significant cerebral edema by CT/MRI evaluation. This review suggests that early CE can be performed in selected patients with an acceptable perioperative morbidity and mortality.     

Intraoperative Intraarterial Urokinase in Early Postoperative Stroke following Carotid Endarterectomy: A Useful Adjunct

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of intraoperative intraarterial urokinase (UK) in patients who suffered an acute stroke immediately following carotid endarterectomy (CEA). From January 1995 to March 1998, 823 carotid endarterectomies were performed. The subsequent results showed that intraarterial UK in the setting of early post-CEA neurologic events appears to be safe and may be a useful adjunct to re-exploration in improving neurologic outcomes.     

Risk of Early Controlateral Carotid Endarterectomy

Between January 1984 and January 1994, we performed early endarterectomy of the controlateral carotid on 94 patients within a delay of 1 to 8 days after the first endarterectomy. Lesions were symptomatic in 58 patients (62%) and asymptomatic in 36 patients (38%). Eighty-four operations were performed under cervical block anesthesia (89%), eight under general anesthesia, and two under local anesthesia (2%). Severe intraoperative hypertension occurred in seven patients (7%) including five under cervical block anesthesia (6%) and two under general anesthesia (25%). Two patients (2.1%) died of stroke secondary to carotid thrombosis in one case and hyperperfusion syndrome in one case. Morbidity included one transient ischemic attack (1%) and one myocardial infarction (1%). Postoperative control of patency revealed asymptomatic occlusion of the internal carotid artery in two patients, accounting for one of the two deaths. Our findings demonstrate that neurologic mortality/morbidity is not higher after early controlateral carotid endarterectomy than unilateral endarterectomy. (Ann Vasc Surg 1997;11: 491–495.)     

Hyperperfusion Syndrome after Carotid Endarterectomy

The hyperperfusion syndrome is a rare delayed postoperative complication of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) characterized by headache and seizure, with or without intracranial edema or hemorrhage. Between January 1996 and December 2003, 1,602 CEAs were performed. Six patients (0.4%) developed symptoms of hyperperfusion within 2 weeks of surgery. All patients had critical stenoses, five ≥90% and one 80-90%, with poor backbleeding from the distal internal carotid artery noted at operation in all cases. Five patients were asymptomatic prior to operation; one had a hemispheric transient ischemic attack. Three patients had severe contralateral internal carotid disease (two occlusions and one severe stenosis). Two patients developed severe, self-limiting headache that prolonged hospitalization. Three patients had ipsilateral intracranial bleeding, two occurring after an uneventful postoperative course. After initial discharge from the hospital, severe intracranial hemorrhage caused death in two patients. One patient experienced focal seizures 1 week after discharge. Hypertension did not appear to be related to the symptoms in any case. During the study period, the hyperperfusion syndrome caused three of five perioperative strokes (60%) and two of seven deaths (29%) in the entire endarterectomy population. Although rare, the hyperperfusion syndrome accounts for a significant percentage of the neurological morbidity and mortality following CEA.Presented at the Twenty-second Annual Meeting of the Southern California Vascular Surgery Society, La Jolla, CA, April 30-May 2, 2004.     

Frey's Syndrome after Carotid Endarterectomy

Frey's syndrome after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is due to iatrogenic injury to the auriculotemporal nerve and has not been previously reported. One month after uncomplicated CEA, our patient noted an erythematous flush and copious drainage of clear fluid from the superior portion of his neck wound whenever he ate, or smelled or thought of food. These symptoms lasted for 2 months and eventually resolved without intervention. The cause and treatment of Frey's syndrome is also described.     

The Incidence of Ischemic Stroke versus Intracerebral Hemorrhage after Carotid Endarterectomy: A Review of 2452 Cases

Carotid endarterectomy is a frequently performed vascular procedure. The most common major perioperative neurologic complication is ischemic stroke. Intracerebral hemorrhage has been traditionally viewed as less common. It has been recently proposed that as technical advances are made, the rate of ischemic stroke and other complications has decreased, causing hemorrhagic stroke to attain increasing importance as a perioperative complication. A review of 2452 consecutive endarterectomies performed by a single surgeon from 1983 to 2000 was performed and rates of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes were analyzed. There were five hemorrhagic strokes for a rate 0.20% (13.5% of postoperative neurologic complications) and 32 with ischemic strokes for a rate of 1.31% (86.5% of postoperative neurologic complications). From these data we conclude that hemorrhagic stroke remains uncommon and ischemic stroke continues to be the most frequent cause of postoperative neurologic complication after carotid endarterectomy.     

Stroke From Carotid Endarterectomy: When and How to Reduce Perioperative Stroke Rate?

OBJECTIVES: To analyse four years of CEA with respect to the underlying mechanisms of perioperative stroke and the role of intraoperative monitoring in the prevention of stroke. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 1996 through December 1999, 599 CEAs were performed in 404 men and 195 women (mean age: 65 years, range: 39-88). All operations were performed under general anaesthesia using computerised electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial Doppler (TCD). Any new or any extension of an existing focal cerebral deficit, as well as stroke-related death were registered. Perioperative strokes were classified by time of onset (intraoperative or postoperative), outcome (minor or major stroke), and side (ipsilateral or contralateral). Stroke aetiology was assessed intraoperatively by means of EEG, TCD, completion arteriography or immediate re-exploration, and postoperatively by duplex sonography, computerised tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head. RESULTS: Perioperative stroke or death occurred in 20 (3.3%) patients. In four operations stroke was apparent immediately after surgery. Mechanisms of these strokes were ipsilateral carotid artery occlusion (1) and embolisation (3). In 16 patients stroke developed after a symptom-free interval (2-72 h, mean 18 h) due to occlusion of the internal carotid artery on the side of surgery (9). Other mechanisms were: contralateral occlusion of the internal carotid artery (1), postoperative hyperperfusion syndrome (1), intracerebral haemorrhage (1), and contralateral ischaemia due to prolonged clamping (1). In three procedures the cause was unknown. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience most strokes from CEA developed after a symptom-free interval and mainly due to thromboembolism of the operated artery. We suggest the introduction of additional TCD monitoring during the immediate postoperative phase.     

Transcranial Doppler Monitoring after Carotid Endarterectomy

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of transcranial Doppler (TCD) monitoring after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and to investigate whether 1 hr of monitoring is sufficient to detect a clinically relevant change in the number of postoperative microemboli. We also evaluated the association of patient characteristics and procedure-related variables with the number of postoperative microemboli. One hundred and two patients were monitored during the second hour after CEA. The main outcome measure was the number of TCD-detected microemboli. The secondary outcome measure was a procedure-related cerebral complication graded according to the modified Rankin scale. The median number of microemboli during the second postoperative hour was two (interquartile ranges, 0.75-11) and decreased in most the patients during this time. Two patients had a relatively high and increasing number of microemboli and developed a minor stroke after a symptom-free interval. One patient developed a TIA intraoperatively. There was no significant association between patient characteristics and the use of a venous patch and the number of postoperative microemboli. Conversely, a statistically significant negative association was found between shunt use and the number of microemboli (p=0.02). The majority of patients had no or a small and decreasing number of microemboli. One hour of monitoring appeared to be effective to select those patients in whom the number of microemboli did not spontaneously decrease and who may need additional medical treatment or surgical reexploration. The role of TCD-detected microemboli as a surrogate measure for the risk of stroke after CEA remains to be validated.