Recanalization of extracranial internal carotid artery occlusion: A retrospective study

Carotid endarterectomy can benefit the majority of patients with severe carotid artery stenosis. However, the therapeutic effects of this technique in patients with symptomatic internal carotid artery occlusion remain controversial. Prof. Feng Ling and team from Capital Medical University retrospectively collected 65 patients with extracranial internal carotid artery occlusion who underwent carotid endarterectomy, carotid endarterectomy combined with Fogarty catheter embolectomy, or hybrid surgery in the Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, China between January 2006 and December 2012.

Prior to surgery, all patients underwent perfusion CT or xenon CT to evaluate the occlusion. The researchers found the success rate of the three treatments was 89%. Therefore, in patients with symptomatic carotid artery occlusion, the carotid artery can be recanalized by choosing a treatment procedure based on imaging examination findings. These findings were published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 23, 2013).