External carotid artery reconstruction: its role in the treatment of cerebral ischemia.

Twenty-one patients who underwent 22 external carotid artery reconstructions for cerebral ischemia were reviewed. Ten patients had amaurosis fugax, 9 had hemispheric ischemia, and 2 were asymptomatic. With the exception of one patient, all had ipsilateral internal carotid artery occlusion and either external carotid stenosis or a cul-de-sac of the occluded internal carotid artery. Six patients had ipsilateral common carotid occlusions. The operative technique has been presented. There were no operative strokes or new neurologic deficits. All patients were relieved of symptoms. Patients were followed a mean of 32 months. During follow-up, 3 ipsilateral transient ischemic attacks occurred during the first 3 months. Four strokes occurred (one ipsilateral and three contralateral) from 4 to 33 months postoperatively. Ipsilateral stroke rate by life table analysis was 1 percent per year. These data suggest that external carotid artery reconstruction is a safe, effective, and durable therapeutic alternative for management of patients with cerebral ischemia and an ipsilateral occluded internal carotid artery. External carotid endarterectomy eliminates a potential source of emboli and increases cerebral perfusion. Because of the increase in cerebral blood flow, subsequent extracranial-to-intracranial bypass may be unnecessary.