Tactics of surgical treatment of acute brain ischemia caused by atherosclerotic damage of the brachiocephalic arteries

The study objective is to test tactics of surgical treatment of patients with brachiocephalic artery pathology in the acute stage of ischemic stroke.

Materials and methods. In the period between 01.07.2014 and 31.12.2017 at the Neurosurgery Division of the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Medicine and the Neurosurgery Division of the N.A. Semashko Republican Clinical Hospital (Simferopol), 125 surgeries were performed in patients with occlusion and stenosis of the precerebral arteries in the acute stage of ischemic stroke. Carotid endarterectomy was performed in 69 cases, among them 54 were performed by eversion technique, 15 traditionally, in 4 cases sympathectomy of the internal carotid artery (ICA) was performed, in 4 – endarterectomy from the external carotid artery, in 3 – redirection of the ICA, in 2 – ICA prosthesis, in 9 – thrombointimectomy. Extracranial-intracranial bypass anastomosis was performed in patients with acute ICA thrombosis (n = 16) and symptomatic ICA occlusion (n = 22).

Results. Good and moderate results (4–5 points per the Glasgow Outcome Scale) were achieved in 119 (95.2 %) observations. Level of consciousness impairment, evaluations per the NIHSS, Rankin, Rivermead scales, brain ischemia volume, presence of brain hypoperfusion prior to surgery, timetable of surgical intervention, postoperative characteristics of the volumetric blood flow and brain reperfusion characteristics significantly affected treatment results. Total rate of complications and deaths was 4.8 %. In 3 cases, death was caused by myocardial infarction, malignant hyperperfusion with hemorrhagic transformation of the ischemic lesion and repeat stroke.

Conclusion. Surgical treatment of patients with transient ischemic attacks, acute small or completed stroke should be performed as soon as possible: this tactic decreases the risk of repeat ischemic attacks and improves functional outcomes of treatment. In case of crescendo of a transient ischemic attack or progressing stroke, surgical treatment should be postponed and performed 24 hours after stabilization of the patient’s neurological status.

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