New results in carotid artery stenosis versus endarterectomy
Doctors have long known that patients with carotid artery stenosis, narrowed blood vessels in the neck, are at significant risk for a stroke. The condition has severe implications. Annually, in the United States, 795,000 patients have strokes that often result in long-term disability or death. For years, however, researchers in North America and Europe have tried to determine the most effective method to treat narrowed or partially blocked carotid vessels. In the December issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, an interdisciplinary team of Mayo Clinic physicians reviewed the most current data available, especially the results of two recent, widely anticipated randomized studies, and provided a new analysis of the two major interventions for carotid occlusive disease.