[Reconstructive surgery of the internal carotid artery (author's transl)]

Between 1970 and 1978 we performed 403 endarterectomies of the internal carotid artery on 330 patients. Operative morbidity (and mortality) depended on the severity of the ischemic cerebral damage at the time of the operation: stage I (137 operations):1.5% (0.7%); stage II (134 operations): 2.2% (3.7%); stage III (29 operations): 3.4% (10.3%); stage IV (103 operations): 3.9% (7.8%). According to the life-table analysis (average follow-up: 40 months) the rate of cured or improved patients amounts to 94% (operated at stage I), 85% (stage II), 84% (stage III) and 70% (stage IV).