Early restenosis after carotid endarterectomy.

Restenosis within 24 months of carotid endarterectomy was discovered in 3.6% of 361 operations. The patients in this group of restenosis tended to be younger than the overall group. Hypertension and hyperlipidemia were also more frequent. Restenosis recurred within an average of 12.5 months of the first operation, with a range from five to 24 months. No surgical technical causes could be found. Restenosis is attributed to rapid, exuberant myointimal proliferation. This process is histologically distinct from the atherosclerotic plaque which is the cause of late restenosis. Reoperation on this group of patients with the fibrous myointimal proliferative type of lesion was difficult and was infrequently associated with improvement in the patients' signs and symptoms.