Internal carotid pseudo-occlusion: early and late results.

Internal carotid pseudo-occlusion (ICP) is a pathology of difficult diagnostic evaluation and treatment in the group of extracranial carotid diseases. The authors report the results of 24 ICP(S) surgically treated in the last five years. No perioperative death was reported. The neurological morbility rate was as low as 4% (1/24), which is quite a good results for this high-risk pathology. Clinical and instrumental follow-up was performed (at 1-3-6-12-24 months from surgery). Six early asymptomatic thromboses (25%) were observed, and the remaining patients showed patent vessels and no symptoms at all. In conclusion surgical treatment of ICP is often able to prevent cerebral ischaemia, and the high rate of early occlusion should not limit surgical indication.