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Venovenous extracorporeal life support after pulmonary endarterectomy: indications, techniques, and outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary endarterectomy is the accepted therapy for thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. A recognized complication of this surgery is the postoperative development of reperfusion edema, a potentially fatal cause of respiratory failure. Because reperfusion edema can be a reversible process, temporizing support measures may be life saving. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed our experience with venovenous extracorporeal life support (V-V ECLS) from July 1990 to February 2006, in 20 adult patients (mean age 50.5 +/- 14.5 years) presenting with potentially reversible respiratory failure after pulmonary endarterectomy. This subset of patients comprised 1.12% of our total pulmonary endarterectomy experience during that time (1,790 cases). RESULTS: Overall in-hospital survival was 30.0% for patients requiring ECLS support after pulmonary endarterectomy versus 94.2% for patients who underwent pulmonary endarterectomy alone during the same timeframe. V-V ECLS was instituted at a mean of 86.8 hours after surgery. The mean duration of V-V ECLS was 123.4 +/- 71.3 hours. The most common cause of death in ECLS patients after pulmonary endarterectomy was pulmonary hemorrhage. Survival was greater in patients cannulated within 120 hours of surgery (46.2% survival; 6 of 13 patients) compared with those cannulated after 120 hours (0 of 7 patients). Multiple logistic regression identified long duration of mechanical ventilation pre-ECLS and severity of preoperative pulmonary hypertension together as predictors of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: A small subset of patients undergoing pulmonary endarterectomy develop temporary life-threatening respiratory failure secondary to severe reperfusion edema. In those patients with satisfactory hemodynamic outcome, V-V ECLS is a therapeutic option when all other conventional strategies have been exhausted.

Adult↗

Remote endarterectomy: lessons learned after more than 100 cases.

BACKGROUND: Bypass procedures have been the mainstay of treatment of extensive external iliac and superficial femoral artery (SFA) occlusive disease, particularly total occlusions. Since the early 1990s, reports from Europe have espoused the virtues of endarterectomy of the superficial femoral and iliac arteries from a small groin incision, but adoption in the United States has been limited. Over the past 4 years, we have explored the technical challenges and durability of this procedure and report our findings. METHODS: Remote endarterectomy from an inguinal incision was the primary treatment option for all patients considered surgical candidates for vascular reconstruction of the external iliac and superficial femoral arteries. All data were entered into an outcomes database prospectively and reviewed retrospectively. After the procedure, duplex ultrasound surveillance was performed quarterly the first year and semi-annually thereafter. RESULTS: Remote endarterectomy was the planned procedure in 133 patients. The mean age was 68 years, 68% were men, and 31% were diabetic. The indications for the procedure were claudication in 57% and limb salvage in 43%. In 16 patients (12%), technical issues precluded the completion of the remote endarterectomy and a bypass was performed. Successful retrograde iliac endarterectomy was performed in 7 patients, SFA endarterectomy in 105 patients, and combined retrograde iliac and antegrade SFA in 5 patients. The average duration of the procedure was 162 minutes +/- 69 minutes (SD). Half of the patients were discharged on the first postoperative day, and the average length of stay was 2.52 days. The mean follow-up was 19 months, with a primary patency of 70% at 30 months by life-table analysis. Limb salvage was 94%. CONCLUSIONS: Remote endarterectomy is a viable and durable alternative to standard bypass procedures. It has equivalent patency to published results of bypass or endovascular procedures of the external iliac and superficial femoral arteries and may soon replace bypass as the preferred procedure for long-segment occlusions of these vessels.

Adult↗

Patient satisfaction after carotid endarterectomy using a selective policy of local anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Patient satisfaction after carotid endarterectomy has not been specifically studied or reported. Results of carotid endarterectomy using either local or general anesthesia have been widely reported, and outcomes are not significantly different for either technique. Patient satisfaction data were obtained in order to determine whether patients preferred one method of anesthesia over another. Data regarding outcome may be added to the surgical literature as benchmark data when comparing operative carotid endarterectomy to newer techniques. METHODS: During a 30-month period, 186 consecutive carotid endarterectomies were performed on 169 patients by a single surgeon with assistance from senior surgical residents. All patients were offered local anesthesia using a cervical block technique with intraoperative supplementation. Patients for whom local anesthesia was inappropriate or who declined were operated on using general endotracheal anesthesia. Results of operation were tabulated including indication for operation, method of anesthesia, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and mortality, and completion of a patient satisfaction survey form either on postoperative visit or by telephone questionnaire. RESULTS: Of 169 patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy, 151 (89%) completed the satisfaction survey form. One hundred fourteen (62%) had local anesthesia and 71 patients (38%) had general anesthesia. There was 1 stroke (0.5%) and 1 death (0.5%) in the series. Perioperative complications including temporary cranial nerve injury, neck hematoma, myocardial infarction, and restenosis were noted and not significantly different in either the general anesthesia or local anesthesia group. Patient satisfaction data including intraoperative discomfort, postoperative pain, attentiveness of the operating room staff, and length of stay were all tabulated. There was no statistically significant difference in satisfaction between the general anesthesia group and the local anesthesia group (chi-square and Fisher's exact test). Additionally, satisfaction with the procedure was extremely high. CONCLUSIONS: Patient outcome and perception of pain and recovery were not statistically significantly different in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy using local anesthesia compared with general anesthesia. Overall patient satisfaction was extremely high. Patients should be offered carotid endarterectomy using an anesthesia technique with which the surgeon and patients are both comfortable, having confidence that the outcome is not related to anesthesia technique and that patients will be highly satisfied.

Aged↗

Asymptomatic carotid disease in patients undergoing major cardiovascular operations: can prophylactic endarterectomy be justified?

This article reviews the published experience supporting or refuting the value of prophylactic endarterectomy in patients with asymptomatic carotid disease who are candidates for major cardiovascular operations. Reports of 1,483 patients subjected to staged or concomitant carotid endarterectomy and coronary artery bypass grafting reveal a perioperative stroke rate of 2.9%. Timing of carotid endarterectomy did not influence stroke rate, but staged procedures were associated with a significantly greater incidence of perioperative myocardial infarction and death. Studies of patients undergoing major cardiovascular surgical operations without prophylactic carotid endarterectomy reported a perioperative stroke rate of 2.7%, which is not significantly different from that of patients undergoing prophylactic carotid endarterectomy. However, the author's prospective study of such patients showed a significant incidence of late postoperative neurologic deficits, which are usually transient ischemic attacks. There is no evidence to justify routine prophylactic carotid endarterectomy of asymptomatic carotid disease before major cardiovascular operations. Patients not undergoing endarterectomy, however, should be given careful postoperative follow-up, because transient ischemic attacks may occur that require surgical intervention.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗

Determinants of outcome after carotid endarterectomy.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of carotid endarterectomy for selected patients has been evaluated with randomized controlled clinical trials. The generalizability of these studies to average surgical practice remains an important public health concern. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the predictors of outcome after carotid endarterectomy on a regional basis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was designed as a retrospective cohort study and included all consecutive patients presented for carotid endarterectomy at the 8 University of Toronto-affiliated hospitals in the period from January 1, 1994, to December 31, 1996. The main outcome measure was 30-day postoperative stroke or death rate. RESULTS: During the study interval, 1280 primary carotid endarterectomies were performed. The overall combined stroke and death rate was 6.3% for all patients who underwent endarterectomy (4.0% for patients who were asymptomatic). The significant predictors of poor outcome were the following: presenting symptoms (odds ratio, 1.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96, 3.12), low surgeon volume (<6 cases per year; odds ratio, 3.98; 95% CI, 1.65, 9.58), and left-sided surgery (odds ratio, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.07, 2.76). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that adoption of the recommendations of the symptomatic carotid endarterectomy trials is appropriate. However, endarterectomy for asymptomatic lesions remains of uncertain benefit on a regional basis and must be individualized to the experience of the specific surgeon. The surgeon volume/outcome relationship that is identified in this study suggests a need for a minimum volume threshold for this procedure.

Adult↗

Semiclosed transfemoral iliac endarterectomy with an oscillating ring stripper.

The technique of endarterectomy for the removal of occlusive atherosclerotic lesions of the aorta and iliac arteries has been utilized successfully in the revascularization of ischemic limbs since its introduction in 1951. The oscillating loop endarterectomy device (Amsco-Hall arterial oscillator) has proven to be useful for endarterectomy of segmental occlusive disease as a substitute for bypass with prosthetic graft. For our elderly debilitated patients, we have adopted a new technique of semiclosed transfemoral iliac endarterectomy for management of occlusive external iliac disease with a patent common iliac artery. We report seven patients treated during May 1987 through May 1988 for external iliac artery occlusion by transfemoral oscillating loop endarterectomy. At 12 months for follow-up review, the cumulative limb salvage rate was 80% with no perioperative mortality. One patient required above-knee amputation eight months following endarterectomy to control forefoot sepsis. Two patients required subsequent leg bypass procedures to achieve full healing of foot level amputation. One patient required dilatation of residual stenosis at the iliac bifurcation by percutaneous balloon angioplasty. Semiclosed transfemoral endarterectomy with the Amsco-Hall oscillating loop device remains an attractive option to the vascular surgeon for recanalization of the iliac artery without the need for an extensive retroperitoneal dissection.

Adult↗

Endarterectomy of the superficial femoral artery: a procedure worth reconsidering.

The preferred management of superficial femoral artery occlusive disease remains unresolved. The oldest technique for restoring vascular continuity, endarterectomy, has been largely replaced by bypass operations and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. We have continued to perform semi-closed endarterectomy in selected cases and review here a series of 231 consecutive cases in 197 patients treated during the last 10 years. The indication for the endarterectomy was disabling claudication in 186 operations (80%), rest pain in 21 (9%) and gangrene in 24 (11%). The superficial femoral artery abnormality consisted of 1-10 cm occlusion in 52 cases (23%), > 10 cm occlusion in 96 (41%), single stenosis in 21 (9%), multiple stenoses in 28 (12%) and it was unknown in 34 cases (15%). Postoperative mortality was 0.8% with a complication rate of 10%. Five year cumulative primary patency was 71% overall, 75% in patients with disabling claudication, 61% in those with rest pain and 46% in those with gangrene. Eight year patency was 55% (S.E. 5.4%). No difference in 5-year cumulative patency was seen between treatment for stenosis or occlusion (74 and 70%, respectively). The results of earlier studies and the current study raise the question of whether endarterectomy should be the first treatment of choice in obstructive lesions of the superficial femoral artery. The results of endarterectomy are better than can be achieved with angioplasty and compare well with the results of femoropopliteal bypass. Endarterectomy has specific advantages above femoro-popliteal bypass: the autologous saphenous vein is spared for future use and in case of failure of the endarterectomy, femoro-popliteal bypass remains possible.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

The appropriateness of carotid endarterectomy.

Carotid endarterectomy is a commonly performed but controversial procedure. We developed from the literature a list of 864 possible reasons for performing carotid endarterectomy, and asked a panel of nationally known experts to rate the appropriateness of each indication using a modified Delphi technique. On the basis of the panel's ratings, we determined the appropriateness of carotid endarterectomy in a random sample of 1302 Medicare patients in three geographic areas who had had the procedure in 1981. Thirty-five percent of the patients in our sample had carotid endarterectomy for appropriate reasons, 32 percent for equivocal reasons, and 32 percent for inappropriate reasons. Of the patients having inappropriate surgery, 48 percent had less than 50 percent stenosis of the carotid artery that was operated on. Fifty-four percent of all the procedures were performed in patients without transient ischemic attacks in the carotid distribution. Of these procedures, 18 percent were judged appropriate, as compared with 55 percent judged appropriate in patients with transient ischemic attacks in the carotid distribution. After carotid endarterectomy, 9.8 percent of patients had a major complication (stroke with residual deficit at the time of hospital discharge or death within 30 days of surgery). We conclude that carotid endarterectomy was substantially overused in the three geographic areas we studied. Furthermore, in situations in which the complication rate is equal to or above the study's aggregate rate, carotid endarterectomy would not be warranted, even in cases with an appropriate indication, because the risks would almost certainly outweigh the benefits.

Aged↗

Relation between surgeons' practice volumes and geographic variation in the rate of carotid endarterectomy.

We examined the relation between the number of operative procedures carried out by individual surgeons and the variation in the rate of carotid endarterectomy among Medicare beneficiaries in areas of high, average, and low use of the procedure in 1981. Rates ranged from 48 per 100,000 in the low-use area to 178 per 100,000 in the high-use area. Two variables accounted for most of the differences in the rates: the number of surgeons performing the procedure and the number of endarterectomies performed by surgeons with high practice volumes. Twice as many surgeons in the high-use area and 25 percent more in the average-use area performed carotid endarterectomy as compared with those in the low-use area. If the average number of cases per surgeon had been the same, the differences in the number of surgeons would have accounted for 36 percent and 15 percent, respectively, of the differences in use. Surgeons who performed 15 or more carotid endarterectomies during the year accounted for most of the variation in the rates. These high-volume surgeons represented 15 percent and 17 percent of the surgeons in the areas of high and average use, respectively, as compared with 4 percent of those in the low-use area. They accounted for 60 and 77 percent, respectively, of the additional endarterectomies. Three fourths of the surgeons performing carotid endarterectomies carried out fewer than 10, and 24 percent did only 1. We conclude that most of the geographic variation in the rate of carotid endarterectomy is caused by a few surgeons in high-use areas who perform large numbers of operations.

Carotid Arteries↗

Post-carotid endarterectomy hypertension: association with elevated cranial norepinephrine.

The cause and mechanism of post-carotid endarterectomy hypertension remains unknown. To determine the influence of the sympathetic and renin-angiotensin system, we measured cranial and peripheral plasma levels of catecholamine and renin in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. Baseline samples were drawn just before carotid clamping (sample I) and compared with study samples drawn immediately after clamp release (sample II), 2 to 6 hours after surgery (sample III), and then 18 to 24 hours after surgery (sample IV). The patients with post-carotid endarterectomy hypertension had an associated increase of cranial and peripheral norepinephrine levels in the postoperative hypertensive period whereas the patients without post-carotid endarterectomy hypertension did not. This association was most pronounced and statistically significant in cranial samples II (p = 0.032) and III (p = 0.005). Epinephrine and dopamine values did not correlate with post-carotid endarterectomy hypertension. Renin values were higher in cranial than in peripheral samples at time period 2 (p = 0.011), suggestive of a central nervous system Goldblatt phenomenon. However, the renin values did not correlate with post-carotid endarterectomy hypertension. We conclude that post-carotid endarterectomy hypertension is associated with elevated cranial norepinephrine levels, suggestive of a central nervous system sympathomimetic mechanism. Optimal prevention and treatment of this brief but frequently occurring hypertension should include a central-acting sympatholytic agent.

Aged↗

Cerebral metabolism of patients with stenosis of the internal carotid artery before and after endarterectomy.

Occlusion or severe stenosis, with a reduction in the diameter of more than 70% of the extracranial arteries may lead to hpoperfusion of the brain with an increased risk of cerebral infarction. The aim of this study was to investigate whether endarterectomy of stenosed internal carotid arteries leads to alternations in cerebral metabolism in regions in which no infarcts were visible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We studied 10 healthy control subjects and 20 patients with transient or nondisabling cerebral ischemia with MRI and 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging. All patients underwent carotid endarterectomy. Patients were examined 1 week before and 3-6 months after carotid endarterectomy. The N-acetyl aspartate (NAA)/choline ratio in the symptomatic hemisphere before endarterectomy (2.29 +/- 0.42) was significantly (p < 0.001) lower than for control subjects (3.18 +/- 0.32). In five of the patients lactate was detected preoperatively in regions that were not infarcted. The NAA/choline ratio in the symptomatic hemisphere of these five patients did not increase significantly after endarterectomy (1.99 +/- 0.22 vs. 2.23 +/- 0.48). The NAA/choline ratio in patients without lactate preoperatively increased significantly (p < 0.01) after endarterectomy to a normal level (from 2.39 +/- 0.42 to 2.92 +/- 0.52). These results indicate that the presence of cerebral lactate may predict whether the NAA/choline ratio increases after carotid endarterectomy.

Aged↗

Intracranial vertebral endarterectomy.

Intracranial vertebral endarterectomy was performed on six patients with vertebrobasilar insufficiency in whom medical therapy failed. The patients underwent operations for stenotic plaque in the intracranial vertebral artery with the opposite vertebral artery being occluded, hypoplastic, or severely stenosed. In four of the patients, the stenosis was mainly proximal to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). In this group, after endarterectomy, the vertebral artery was patent in two patients, and their symptoms resolved; in one patient the endarterectomy occluded, but the patient's symptoms improved; and in one patient the endarterectomy was unsuccessful, and he continued to have symptoms. In one patient, the plaque was at the origin of the PICA. The operation appeared technically to be successful, but the patient developed a cerebellar infarction and died. In one patient the stenosis was distal to the PICA. During endarterectomy, the plaque was found to invade the posterior wall of the vertebral artery. The vertebral artery was ligated, and the patient developed a Wallenburg syndrome. The results of superficial temporal artery to superior cerebellar artery anastomosis are better than those for intracranial vertebral endarterectomy for patients with symptomatic intracranial vertebral artery stenosis. The use of intracranial vertebral endarterectomy should be limited to patients who have disabling symptoms despite medical therapy, a focal lesion proximal to the PICA, and a patent posterior circulation collateral or bypass.

Aged↗

Does coronary endarterectomy increase the risk of coronary bypass?

BACKGROUND: With increased incidence of angioplasty and stent implantation, patients referred for coronary bypass (CABG) typically have more advanced and diffuse coronary disease. Thus, more patients may require endarterectomy in order to achieve complete revascularization. We compared our results in patients undergoing CABG with or without coronary endarterectomy. METHODS: Between 1993 and 1999, 2372 patients underwent isolated CABG in our department. A retrospective analysis was performed to compare patients requiring coronary endarterectomy of the LAD (group 1, n = 88), endarterectomy of arteries other than the LAD (group 2, n = 143), to those not requiring endarterectomy (group 3, n = 2071). Patients undergoing CABG without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass were excluded. Group 1 had a higher incidence of proximal LAD stenosis (p = 0.001) than group 3, while group 2 had a higher incidence of peripheral vascular disease (p = 0.02), preoperative MI (p = 0.03) and LV dysfunction (p = 0.001). RESULTS: Operative mortality was 10% in group 1 (p < 0.001) and 4% in group 2 (p = NS) compared to 3% in group 3. Incidence of perioperative MI was 12% in group 1 (p = 0.001) and 8% in group 2 (p = 0.001) compared to 2% in group 3. CONCLUSIONS: Patients requiring endarterectomy of the LAD are at increased risk of operative mortality. This was not true for patients requiring endarterectomy of arteries other than the LAD. In both groups there was an increased risk of perioperative myocardial infarction.

Adult↗

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty following endarterectomy.

Recurrent occlusive disease was found by noninvasive methods and confirmed arteriographically in 7 patients who had undergone endarterectomy for stenosis of one [5] or both iliac arteries [1] or the subclavian artery [1]. Three patients with iliac artery stenosis had percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) 1 to 5 years after endarterectomy. One patient with stenosis of the external iliac artery had PTA 4 years after endarterectomy, and dilatation was repeated 7 months later because of recurrence. One patient had 2 endarterectomies and 2 PTAs within 8 years for stenosis of the right common iliac artery. One patient had recanalization of the left common iliac artery 6 years after endarterectomy with low-dose streptokinase followed by PTA. Another patient underwent endarterectomy of the left subclavian artery 3 months after PTA and required further dilatation at 5 and 10 months because of recurrence. The authors conclude that endarterectomy does not preclude PTA (or vice versa) in patients with recurrent arterial occlusive disease.

Adult↗

Endarterectomy for carotid stenosis: new approaches in patient selection.

Results of randomized trials on carotid endarterectomy make it mandatory that therapeutic decisions for patients with carotid stenosis consider the degree of stenosis, presence of symptoms, skill of surgeon and time since the last ischemic event. Patients with severe (>70% by angiogram) stenosis should receive carotid endarterectomy, provided the operative risk is <6% and symptoms have recurred within 6 months. With moderate stenosis (50--69% by angiogram), and with similar low operative risk and time limit, males with hemispheric, nondisabling stroke and appropriate CT lesion will benefit from carotid endarterectomy. Patients with TIA only, retinal symptoms alone and who are women are not going to benefit in this range of stenosis. Particularly at risk with medical care alone are symptomatic patients with coexistent intracranial stenosis, widespread white-matter lesions, intraluminal thrombi, contralateral occlusion and absence of good collateral circulation. The same high-risk patients, enjoy good long-term results from endarterectomy. Lacunar syndromes at presentation respond to endarterectomy, but with less benefit. Symptomatic patients do as well, regardless of age, provided patients with serious cardiac disorders and with organ failure are avoided. Serious doubt exists about indications for endarterectomy in asymptomatic subjects. Even if the upper limit of 3% perioperative risk is exceeded (and in large institutional databases and other studies, it usually is), the risk of large-artery strokes from the asymptomatic lesion is only slightly above the risk facing these subjects from lacunar and cardioembolic stroke. To prevent 1 large-artery stroke in 5 years in asymptomatic subjects requires that 111 subjects be submitted to endarterectomy.

Carotid Stenosis↗

Infrequency of blacks among patients having carotid endarterectomy.

We reviewed demographic data on patients having 2,256 carotid endarterectomies in eight large hospitals in North Carolina to determine the frequency of blacks among these patients. Blacks comprised only 4.6% of the patients having carotid endarterectomy even though they comprised 26% of all patients discharged and 22% of the general population of the state. Data from the National Inpatient Profile of the Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities, which represents patients discharged from short-term, nonfederal hospitals throughout the United States, show that nationwide, blacks comprise only 2.7% of the patients having carotid endarterectomy, whereas they comprise 12.0% of all patients discharged, 12.1% of the general population, and 10.7% of patients discharged following Class I surgical procedures. Blacks have only 67 carotid endarterectomies per 100,000 patients discharged; this rate is five or more times higher in whites. Among black patients having carotid endarterectomy, women predominate, whereas men predominate among white patients having carotid endarterectomy (p = 0.006). The underrepresentation of blacks among patients having carotid endarterectomy lends support to the concept that carotid vascular disease in blacks is distributed intracranially rather than extracranially as opposed to the extracranial rather than intracranial distribution in whites.

Adult↗

Improved prognosis for asymptomatic carotid stenosis with prophylactic carotid endarterectomy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The value of carotid endarterectomy in asymptomatic patients with high-grade stenosis is controversial. The objective of this study is to compare the immediate and long-term outcome of patients after carotid endarterectomy for asymptomatic carotid stenosis (greater than 75%) with the reported natural history of patients followed nonoperatively to determine whether carotid endarterectomy reduces the subsequent neurological event rate. METHODS: The data from 141 carotid endarterectomies performed in 123 patients between January 1980 and December 1986 were reviewed from the perspective of perioperative results and long-term follow-up to January 1990, providing a follow-up ranging from 3 to 10 years. The mean follow-up was 56.6 months (range 27-117 months). RESULTS: There were no perioperative deaths. There were two postoperative stokes: one in the cerebellar distribution and one in the middle cerebral distribution. During the course of follow-up, no patient suffered a stroke in the hemisphere ipsilateral to carotid endarterectomy. One patient developed ipsilateral transient ischemic attacks 24 months after surgery associated with carotid restenosis. A total of three patients developed four recurrent carotid stenoses, for an incidence of 2.8%. All four recurrences were corrected surgically. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are in marked contrast to the reported natural history of patients with greater than 75% stenosis in which the 1-year neurological event rate is 18% and the 1-year stroke rate is 5%. Although final proof of efficacy for prophylactic carotid endarterectomy in asymptomatic patients will await the outcome of randomized trials, until these data are available, prophylactic carotid endarterectomy is justified in centers of excellence that can perform the surgery with low perioperative risk.

Adult↗

Epidemiology of carotid endarterectomy and cerebral arteriography in the United States.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Results of North American and European trials of carotid endarterectomy published in 1991 may have affected the frequency of the procedure in the United States. Therefore, data from a national survey of hospital discharges were examined to determine whether rates of carotid endarterectomy and arteriography increased after 1991 and whether race and sex variations in rates have persisted. METHODS: Data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey were examined for the years 1980 through 1993. Estimated numbers of procedures performed in nonfederal US hospitals were used to compute rates per 100,000 population by year, age, race, and sex. RESULTS: In persons aged 65 years and over, the rate of carotid endarterectomy increased rapidly between 1980 and 1983 with a slight further increase through 1985. A marked fall in the rate occurred between 1985 and 1988, followed by a plateau and a sharp upturn in 1992. After 1985, there was a steady decline in the rate of cerebral arteriography procedures in hospital. No reliable data were available on outpatient cerebral arteriography. Throughout the period, whites had estimated rates of carotid endarterectomy procedures over four times higher than blacks. Whites also had higher rates of cerebral arteriography, but the disparity was not as great as for endarterectomy. Rates of carotid endarterectomy were 60% higher in men than women, but rates of cerebral arteriography were only 9% higher in men than women. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of carotid endarterectomy increased sharply after the 1991 publication of trial results. Marked racial disparities in the use of this procedure persist and require further evaluation.

Black or African American↗