[Associated carotid and coronary lesions: carotid endoluminal angioplasty before coronary surgery]

There is debate over the therapeutic strategy in patients with lesions of both the coronary arteries and the carotid arteries. Improvement in angioplasty techniques for the carotid artery would be a minimally invasive alternative.

Between January 1993 and June 1995, 12 patients who underwent endoluminal angioplasty of the carotid artery before coronary bypass surgery (mean 17.9 days before) were included in the study. Mean age was 70 +/- 3.2 years. The carotid lesions were asymptomatic in all patients who had stable angina.

The mean number of bypasses was 2.9 per patient. Five patients had a contralateral stenosis of the internal carotid artery. Angioplasty was performed under cerebral protection using a three way coaxial catheter. A Strecker stent was required in 8 cases. One patient presented transient hemianopsia. All patients were seen again at 4 months for an angiogram then at 6 months for a Doppler examination. One patient needed complete redilatation with a stent and one other required dilatation of the stent.

Endoluminal angioplasty of the carotid arteries gave encouraging results in this high-risk population (underlying disease, age, bilateral carotid lesions, arterial coronary grafts). This technique should be used more widely for patients with severe multiple arterial lesions.