Eight to ten years follow-up after carotid endarterectomy: clinical evaluation and Doppler examination of patients operated on between 1978-1980.

Follow-up information was obtained on 185 patients who consecutively underwent carotid endarterectomy eight to ten years previously. Doppler ultrasound examination was performed in 59 patients who were still alive and living within 100 miles of the hospital. Using lifetable analysis, the annual rate of focal strokes was estimated to be 2% and 1.5% on the operated and the contralateral, non-operated carotid artery, respectively. Doppler examination revealed 48% re-stenoses, including 14% occlusion and 15% greater than 50% stenosis. However, there was no association between the occurrence of restenosis and the development of symptoms, perhaps with the exception of internal carotid artery occlusion, which is not an accepted indication for carotid endarterectomy. Together with recent data from the literature, these observations challenge the indication for reoperative carotid surgery.