Combined surgical approach for carotid and coronary stenosis. Sixty-four patients and review of literature

Abstract

Background: The proper role of combined carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and coronary bypass (CABG) is still controversial. We contribute to the discussion through the critical evaluation of 64 consecutive patients, whose data have been collected in a prospective way.

Methods: Between 1990 and 1999, 64 patients presenting a critical coronary disease (unemendable by PTA) associated with severe carotid stenosis (= or >70% if symptomatic, = or >80% if asymptomatic), underwent combined CEA-CABG. Cardiological symptoms were evident in 90.6% of cases. Thirty-five patients (54.7%) had a three-vessel coronaropathy, 18 (28.1%) a two-vessel disease and 11 (17.2%) severe stenosis of the common trunk; furthermore 7 patients (10.9%) had a low ejection fraction (<50%). A positive neurologic history was present in 22 (44%) patients. Thirty-four patients (55%) had a carotid stenosis >90%; a significant disease of the contralateral carotid axis was observed in 53% of cases: stenosis >50% in 30 patients and thrombosis in 4. CEA was performed with somato-sensorial evoked potential monitoring.

Results: The hospital mortality rate was 6.2% (4 patients). The cause of death was cardiac in 2 cases (1 early bypass thrombosis and 1 irreversible coronary spasm) and related to a multiorgan failure in 2. The neurologic morbidity rate was 0%.

Conclusions: Our data highlight that in these high-risk patients the combined approach dramatically reduces the stroke risk although the mortality rate is still higher than that observed after CEA or CABG.