Reoperative carotid surgery

Fourteen patients underwent carotid reoperation for symptomatic recurrent carotid stenosis after previous ipsilateral carotid endarterectomy. Eight of these patients presented with focal transient ischemic attacks, two with strokes, and four with vertebrobasilar insufficiency. Recurrent symptoms in eight patients were similar to those prompting the initial carotid endarterectomy. Symptoms recurred early after previous carotid endarterectomy in 2 patients and late in 12 patients. Eleven patients underwent repeat endarterectomy and carotid patch angioplasty, two patients underwent patch angioplasty alone, and one patient underwent carotid artery replacement with a vein graft. Persistent or recurrent focal symptoms referable to the reoperated carotid artery were not present during follow-up (mean 27.4 months, range 4 to 79 months). Vertebrobasilar symptoms were relieved by carotid reoperation in each patient. Although the natural history of asymptomatic postoperative carotid restenosis is unknown, reluctance to reoperate on symptomatic patients is unwarranted, since carotid reoperation can be performed safely with the expectation that recurrent focal and nonfocal vertebrobasilar symptoms will be relieved.