Early carotid surgery in patients after acute ischemic stroke: is it safe? A retrospective analysis in a single center between early and delayed/deferred carotid surgery on 285 patients.

BACKGROUND

The early risk of stroke after transient ischemic attack (TIA)/stroke is of the order of 5-10% at 1 week and 10-20% at 3 months. Even if carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is the treatment of choice in symptomatic internal carotid artery stenosis, the timing of carotid intervention after acute stroke is not yet codified. The authors want to determinate whether early CEA is safely carried out in the first few hours (<48 hours) successive to the nondebilitating neurological event and whether the outcome (TIA/stroke/death) in these cases is comparable with the results of those treated by delayed/deferred surgery (range, 48 hours-24 weeks).

METHODS

In 4 years, the authors performed 1,184 CEA (285 symptomatic). Five groups were formed from 285 symptomatic patients, according to interval between TIA/stroke onset and performance of CEA: G1, less than 48 hours; G2, 48 hours-2 weeks; G3, 2-4 weeks; G4, 4-8 weeks; G5, 8-24 weeks. Surgery was never performed on patients with disabling neurological deficit (modified Rankin Scale, 5) at the time of admittance, cerebral lesions greater than 3 cm at magnetic resonance/computed tomography scan, presence or suspect of parenchymal hemorrhage associated with ischemic damage, condition considered unfit for surgery (American Society of Anesthesiology classification grade V), and occlusion of the cerebral middle artery. Neurological and diagnostic examinations (duplex-scanning and computed tomography/magnetic resonance scan) were used in determining the selection for early CEA.

RESULTS

Cumulative TIA/stroke/death rate after CEA was 3.8% (11/285) and at 30 days was 2.8% (8/285). The cumulative TIA rate after CEA and at 30 days was 0% (0/285). The cumulative stroke rate after CEA was 3.5% (10/285) and at 30 days was 2.4% (7/285). The cumulative death rate after CEA and at 30 days was 0.3% (1/285). Stroke rate after CEA in each group was: G1 4.2% (3/70); G2 3.2% (2/61); G3 0% (0/22); G4 3.4% (1/29); G5 3.8% (4/103). Any statistically significant difference between G1 and the other four groups was not detected with regard to postoperative stroke: G1 (4.2%) versus G2 (3.2%), p = 0.7641; G1 (4.2%) versus G3 (0%), p = 0.7648; G1 (4.2%) versus G4 (3.4%), p = 0.8473; G1 (4.2%) versus G5 (3.8%), p = 0.8952. No hemorrhagic stroke was detected after early CEA. The type of anesthesia and the use of a shunt didn't show any significant difference between the five groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis of these records suggests that early CEA in the acute post stroke phase, for patients clinically selected, does not result in greater complications than when performed delayed or deferred . Furthermore, the advantage of early CEA is the reduction of recurrent strokes, as untreated patients present a higher incidence of neurological events.