Prior carotid surgery does not affect the reliability of landmarks for location of the internal jugular vein.

Twenty-one volunteer subjects who had undergone prior carotid endarterectomy (CEA) agreed to an ultrasound study of the neck. The transducer was held as one would hold a cannulating needle and ultrasound images were obtained of the great vessels in the neck. Each of two cannulating techniques was simulated on each side of every patient's neck. Photographs of the ultrasound images were analyzed to score "hit" or "miss" for the internal jugular vein (IJV) and the carotid artery (CA), and to measure both the angle between these vessels and the distance from the skin to the IJV. In 11 subjects, the effect of a Valsalva maneuver on IJV width was also determined. Owing to bilateral CEA in 9 of the 21 subjects, there were 12 studies of nonsurgical sides (NSS) and 30 studies of surgical sides (SS). SS and NSS hit frequencies were statistically indistinguishable both for the IJV and the CA. In no photograph did the IJV lie medial to the CA. A Valsalva maneuver did not change IJV width on either the SS or the NSS. These data show that prior CEA does not affect the location of the IJV. Tissue alterations or adhesions may render actual IJV cannulation more difficult or risky. The data suggest but do not prove that prior CEA may not increase the incidence of CA puncture under clinical conditions.