[Postoperative intravenous digital angiography of the carotid]

Intravenous digital angiography was performed in 55 patients previously submitted to carotid endarterectomy. The angiographic examination was performed in asymptomatic subjects in 43/55 cases, as a routine procedure. In 12/55 cases (22%) the examination was performed following an ischemic recurrency. In 27 patients (49%), digital angiography was repeated before and after surgery, giving the opportunity of a serial evaluation of the vascular pattern. The angiographic findings in the site of operation was normal in 49/55 patients; in 6 patients (12%) steno-occlusive recurrencies were observed. In 21/55 cases (38%) carotid stenosis on the opposite side was demonstrated, owing to the pan-angiographic effect of intravenous contrast administration: among these cases, 18 appeared angiographically normal at the operation site. The clinico-angiographical correlation resulted fairly good (41/55-75%), taking into account the fraction of patients with contralateral carotid stenosis and neurological symptoms. Intravenous digital angiography is proposed as a first-choice diagnostic procedure for the follow-up after carotid surgery.