[Carotid thromboendarterectomy in the elderly patient: clinical characteristics in operated patients and short and middle term results].

INTRODUCTION

Carotid thromboendarterectomy is the technique of choice for treating highgrade stenosis in patients less than 80 years of age, especially if they are symptomatic. Previous studies have also documented the persistence of the benefit of the procedure in elderly populations and, in addition, other treatments have not been demonstrated to be as effective or have been related to more frequent complications. This study describes the clinical characteristics, surgical results and outcome of patients older than 75 and 80 years old, treated by thromboendarterectomy in our center in comparison with a younger population.

METHODS

Between the years 2000 to 2006, 86 patients were treated by thromboendarterectomy, 8 of them bilaterally. A retrospective study that described the data regarding clinical characteristics and outcome of the patients who had undergone endarterectomy was conducted and the different age groups were compared.

RESULTS

Twenty-six patients older than 75 years old, 6 of whom were older than 80, were operated on. In the elderly patients, the fundamental risk factor was high blood pressure, there was a lower proportion of smokers and a higher proportion of contralateral severe stenosis or occlusion. Stenosis treated by surgery was more severe and had more aggressive characteristics. Comorbidity and anesthetic risk were the same as in younger patients. Surgical results, perioperative complication rates and short and long term outcome were similar in the different age groups (immediate morbidity-mortality due to transitory ischemic accident, stroke or death: 0% in older than 75 vs. 4.41% in those under 75).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results support that age should not be considered a contraindication for the performance of a carotid thromboendarterectomy if there is a clear indication and acceptable morbidity and anesthetic risk, as in other population groups.