[Neurologic complications in connection with the surgical treatment of 577 cases of carotid artery stenosis].

During the period January 1982 till June 1988, 536 patients underwent 577 carotid thrombendartectomies in the Department of Vascular Surgery RK in the University Hospital in Copenhagen. Preoperatively, 270 patients (47%) had experienced transient ischaemic attacks (TIA), 247 (43%) had experienced stroke (APC) and 19 (3%) had non-focal symptoms while 41 (7%) had asymptomatic stenoses. Postoperatively, 17 (2.9%) patients developed TIA, 22 (3.8%) developed slight neurological symptoms and 40 (7%) had more severe neurological complications and six of these (1%) died. None of the patients died from other causes during the first month. The frequency of complications had no relationship to the preoperative focal symptoms, but in patients with non-focal symptoms this was 37%. The degree of stenosis of the contralateral internal carotid artery (ICA) was correlated positively with the occurrence of severe neurological complications which were observed in 5% without contralateral ICA changes, in 7% with stenoses and in 20% with contralateral ICA occlusion. Patients with cerebral infarction developed complications significantly more frequently (20%) than patients with normal CT scans. The risk was also found to be increased in cases with a high pressure gradient across the stenosis and low pressure peripherally in the occluded artery (stump pressure). Follow-up examination of the 73 patients with complications on average 39 months after operation revealed that 37 patients (6.4%) had severe neurological symptoms resulting either from the operation or subsequent APC; seven patients required complete nursing care (1.2%) and 17 patients died during the period of observation. On follow-up examination, 15 patients had been occupationally active for at least 1.5 years.