Carotid artery Dacron patch graft angioplasty: A ten-year experience

Abstract Of 394 carotid endarterectomies performed during a 10-year period, 36 (9%) included Dacron patch graft angioplasties. Patch graft angioplasties were used selectively in patients because they had undergone previous carotid endarterectomy or had small-caliber vessels. There were no postoperative infections, occlusions, emboli, stroke, or pseudoaneurysms. In addition, no clinically detectable recurrent stenoses developed in this high-risk group of patients. Twenty-four of the 27 patients available for follow-up were screened for asymptomatic stenoses with spectral analysis and B-mode imaging; there was no sign of hemodynamically significant recurrent stenosis in this group. These encouraging results support the continued selective use of Dacron patch graft angioplasty in carotid surgery. (J VASC SURG 1987;5:475-8.)