Carotid endarterectomy within 2 weeks of minor ischemic stroke: A prospective study

Objective: Data from multicenter symptomatic trials have shown that benefit from carotid endarterectomy (CEA) was greatest in patients with carotid disease operated within 2 weeks of their last ischemic event. We prospectively analyzed the safety and benefit of CEA performed within 2 weeks of a stroke. Methods: The study involved patients with acute minor stroke admitted to two stroke units who underwent CEA within 2 weeks of their last ischemic event, once they were considered neurologically stable. Preoperative workup included scoring ischemia-related symptoms according to a modified ranking scale (mRS), carotid duplex scan, transcranial Doppler ultrasound, and head computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. All patients underwent neurological assessment on admission, 1 day before and 2 days after CEA, and at discharge. A complete neurological and ultrasound follow-up was performed at 1, 6, and 12 months after CEA, then yearly. All procedures were eversion CEA under deep gene...