Reconstruction of the carotid artery using a temporary shunt during an operation for advanced thyroid carcinoma--a...

A case of a patient who required reconstruction of the carotid artery during a radical operation for advanced thyroid cancer is reported herein. The patient, a 64-year-old female who had had three previous operations for thyroid cancer, underwent a two-stage operation. In the first stage, the left cervical lymphnodes were dissected, but as a large metastatic node invading the left carotid artery could not be completely removed, some carcinoma tissue was left attached to the wall of the artery. The second stage involved a temporary shunt being set up between the common carotid artery and the internal carotid artery following heparinization, after which the invaded portion was resected, and the defect patched with a saphenous vein graft. Monitoring with a Doppler flow-meter and EEG were conducted throughout the operation. At present, cancer has recurred in the left submandibular and supraclavicular regions.