Results of carotid endarterectomy with the use of temporary shunts with reduced retrograde pressure in the internal carotid artery - analysis of the multicenter Russian register.

AIM

The aim of the study was to assess the role of a temporary carotid shunt in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective, multicentric ( = 159) study carried out between January 2005 and October 2020. The study included 3114 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy who had a reduced retrograde internal carotid artery pressure (<60% of systolic blood pressure). A temporary carotid shunt was used in 1328 patients and 1786 patients underwent carotid endarterectomy without a shunt.

RESULTS

The in-hospital outcomes were comparable in terms of the incidence of deaths, myocardial infarctions, and stroke between the two groups. However, asymptomatic strokes (confirmed on computed tomography) occurred more frequently in the group where the temporary shunt was used (34 (2.5%) vs. 10 (0.55%),  < 0.0001). The composite endpoints of adverse events were also higher in the group where a temporary shunt was used (44 (3.3%) vs. 28 (1.5%),  = 0.002). The risk of symptomatic stroke (both fatal and non-fatal) was higher in the group where a temporary shunt was not used, though this was statistically not significant. Logistic regression analysis identified diabetes mellitus and stenosis (81-90%) of the contralateral internal carotid artery to be important predictors for stroke.

CONCLUSION

Temporary carotid shunts during carotid endarterectomy were associated with increased rates of asymptomatic stroke. There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of non-fatal or fatal stroke, myocardial infarction, and mortality.