[When should a pathological deformity of the internal carotid artery be operated on?].

The present study was aimed at optimizing the algorithm of examination and indications for operation in patients with a pathological deformity of the internal carotid artery. The work was based on a retrospective analysis of the therapeutic outcomes in 142 patients with an isolated pathological deformity of the internal carotid artery, who underwent a total of 166 reconstructive operations. Based on assessment of the diagnostic accuracy of the employed methods of diagnosis, we proposed an optimal algorithm of patient's examination including coloured duplex scanning and magnetic resonance angiography of the brachiocephalic arteries with simultaneous magnetic resonance tomography of the brain, followed by determining due indications for surgical treatment, depending on the baseline degree of cerebrovascular insufficiency and haemodynamiс significance of the pathological deformity of the internal carotid artery. The developed algorithm of examination makes it possible to timely and efficiently diagnose the disease and to determine due indications for surgical treatment of patients presenting with a pathological deformity of the internal carotid artery.