In an effort to reduce the stroke rate of patients after coronary artery bypass, many authors have studied the prevalence of the extracranial carotid disease and its role in determining neurologic morbidity and mortality rates. From April 1992 to
August
1993, Seventy-five patients undergoing coronary artery bypass were preoperatively evaluated for presence of carotid and femoral stenosis by Duplex sono. Among them, fourteen patients was positive by Duplex sono and overall prevalence of carotid
or
femoral stenosis was 18.7%. And significant carotid stenosis(>60%) had proved to be in 3 patients(4.0%).
Prophylatic bilateral carotid endarterectomy was performed in one patient, at 5 months prior to and, 1 week prior to coronary artery bypass respectively.
Their mean age was 57.6 years(ranged from 40 to 70 years) and were composed of 10 males and 4 females. There was no postoperative morbidiry and mortality related to neurologic complications.
Our data, although small, suggest that peroperative carotid screening is helpful to determine patients at high risk of stroke, and significant simultaneous carotid and coronary atherosclerosis should be corrected in selected patients by staged
operations when feasible. (Korean J Thoracic Cardiovas Surg 1993;26:833-7)
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