Long-term survival and stroke-free survival after eversion carotid endarterectomy for asymptomatic severe carotid stenosis

Background. Level I evidence supports carotid endarterectomy (CEA) as the standard treatment for severe (> 70% lumen reduction) carotid stenosis in asymptomatic patients, though its safety and efficacy in high-risk patients remain controversial. Long-term survival and stroke-free survival after CEA may guide decisions concerning this procedure for asymptomatic patients, but this outcome has only been considered in few reports outside the large randomized trial setting. This study analyzed long-term survival and stroke-free survival after CEA and the impact of risk factors in a consecutive series of asymptomatic patients, including those with medical comorbidities and particular anatomical features believed to increase the perioperative morbidity and mortality of CEA. Methods. For over 10 years, data were prospectively collected for all patients who underwent CEA for asymptomatic severe carotid disease at our institution. All CEAs performed by the same surgeon involved eversion technique, with patients under deep general anesthesia and continuous perioperative electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring for selective shunting. All patients had neurological follow-up and duplex ultrasound at 1, 6, and 12 months, and yearly thereafter. A complete follow-up (mean, 6.1 years; range, 0.1 to 10.6 years) was obtained in 348 patients (93%) with an overall 365 CEAs (93%). Survival analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier life tables. Results: Among 374 patients undergoing 391 CEAs, there were no perioperative deaths or strokes. There were 17 (4.8%) late deaths, mainly cardiac-related (70%), and 2 (0.5%) non-fatal strokes. At 5 and 10 years, survival was 96.3% and 85.7%, and stroke-free survival was 95.6% and 84.8%, respectively. At multivariate analysis, diabetes mellitus (P=.002) and cardiac disease (P=.005) were independent predictors of a shorter long-term survival. Conclusions: Eversion CEA proved safe and effective in a series of patients with asymptomatic severe carotid disease representing the typical population of daily clinical practice. Although long-term results were extremely favorable, excellent stroke-free survival was not translated into a longer patient survival.