Carotid Replacement Grafts for Extracranial Atherosclerotic Disease

Carotid artery reconstruction using interposition grafts is usually indicated for management of recurrent stenosis where endarterectomy cannot be performed, where quality of the carotid artery is unsatisfactory following endarterectomy, or where there are aneurysmal changes in the artery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perioperative and long-term results in patients who underwent carotid replacement grafts.The authors conducted a retrospective chart review of 758 operations performed for extracranial carotid disease between August 1987 and February 1995. In 10 of these cases, the quality of the carotid artery following endarterectomy was so thin or had such an irregular surface that replacement grafts were necessary.In three of these 10 patients, surgery had been performed for recurrent carotid stenosis. Autogenous vein was utilized in seven cases, and prosthetic material was used in three cases (polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE] in two cases and Dacron in one case). Follow-up was complete in ...