Surgical Procedures of the Carotid System in the Elderly

Abstract

In this study the operative and postoperative results in 84 patients older than seventy-five years who underwent 106 surgical interventions of the carotid system are compared with those of 320 patients aged less than seventy-five who underwent 413 similar procedures. The authors encountered 2 (2.4%) permanent and 1 (1.2%) transient central nervous system ischemic events in patients older than seventy-five, whereas in younger patients there were 4 (1.3%) permanent and 5 (1.6%) transient events. In addition there were 2 deaths (2.4%) in the older group and 5 (1.6%) in the younger group. These differences are not statistically significant and suggest that age alone should not be a contraindica tion to surgical interventions of the carotid system.