Carotid endarterectomy - Risks of carotid endarterectomy
- Introduction
- When carotid endarterectomy is needed
- Getting ready for a carotid endarterectomy
- How carotid endarterectomy is performed
- Recovering from carotid endarterectomy
- Risks of carotid endarterectomy
- Alternatives to carotid endarterectomy
- 'I'm able to walk again'
As with all types of surgery, there are risks associated with having a carotid endarterectomy.
The two main risks are:
- stroke – the risk of stroke is around 2%, although this may be higher in people who have had a stroke before the operation
- death – there is a less than 1% risk of death, which can occur as a result of complications such as a stroke or heart attack
Most strokes that occur after carotid endarterectomy are caused by an artery in the brain becoming blocked during the early post-operative period, or because there is some bleeding into the brain tissue. Your surgical and anaesthetic team will do all they can to prevent this.
Other complications
As well as stroke and death, there is a small chance of developing other complications after having a carotid endarterectomy. These include:
- pain or numbness at the wound site – this is temporary and can be treated with painkillers
- bleeding at the site of the wound
- wound infection – the wound where the incision was made can get infected; this affects less than 1% of people and is easily treated with antibiotics
- nerve damage – this can cause a hoarse voice and weakness or numbness on the side of your face; it affects around 4% of people, but is usually temporary and disappears within a month
- narrowing of the carotid artery again – this is called restenosis; further surgery is required in about 2-4% of people
Your surgeon should explain the risks that are associated with a carotid endarterectomy before you have the procedure. Ask them to clarify anything you're not sure about and answer any concerns you have.
Increased risk
Factors that increase your risk of experiencing complications because of a carotid endarterectomy include:
- your age – the risk increases as you get older
- whether you smoke
- having previously had a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) – the risk will depend on the severity of the stroke or TIA, how well you recovered and how recently it occurred
- whether you have a blockage in your other carotid artery as well
- whether you have other health conditions, such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure (hypertension) or diabetes
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