Variation in the use of angiography and carotid endarterectomy by neurologists in the UK-TIA aspirin trial.

Of 959 patients with complete records at entry to the UK-TIA Aspirin Trial 32% underwent angiography; for the 27 neurologists with 10 or more patients in the trial this rate varied from 3% to 100%. Seven per cent of the patients had carotid surgery; similarly the rate varied from 0% to 25% depending on the policy of the neurologist. These differences may be partly due to different perceptions of the safety and usefulness of carotid surgery. Ten of 41 (24%) patients undergoing carotid surgery after randomisation had a perioperative stroke, and four of them died.