Unplanned Stenting for Treatment of Distal Endpoint Issues During Carotid Endarterectomy ☆

High distal internal carotid artery (ICA) exposure extending past the C2 vertebra during carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is challenging and is associated with an increased risk of cranial nerve injury, even in experienced hands.1 Meticulous pre-operative planning should pre-empt the need for extensive unplanned distal exposure to remove a bulky atherosclerotic plaque during CEA. There are, however, rare instances in which either a distal clamp injury or a friable, tattered endpoint not amenable to tacking sutures is encountered in a region of the distal ICA beyond what can safely be accessed by open surgical manoeuvres to extend distal exposure.
Source: European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery - Category: Surgery Authors: Tags: Research Letter Source Type: research