[Carotid endarterectomy using direct suturing]

Abstract

The authors report the surgical technique and their experience in direct suture of arterial wall during carotid endarterectomies, comparing their results with reported data from literature. Selective or routinely utilization of direct suture or patch angioplasty are still a matter of discussion and reports from literature are controversial. In the Vascular Surgery Division of Busto Arsizio Hospital from January 1982 to December 1995, 870 carotid endarterectomies have been performed; direct arterial wall suture has been done in the 95.5% of these. The mean follow-up is 72 months, the restenosis rate is 6.6%, but only the 0.7% of the cases required a new surgical intervention with a patch angioplasty. From these data and according to the reports of international literature, we can assume that the use of a patch or direct arterial wall reconstruction, is a factor of less influence on restenosis rate than systemic or local factors (intimal flaps, surgical mistakes). Carotid endarterectomy has to be performed with great accuracy, in order to avoid surgical mismanagements which could negatively influence on early and late results.