What is the main purpose of the Asymptomatic Carotid Surgery Trial (ACST) Collaborative Group?
The Asymptomatic Carotid Surgery Trial (ACST) Collaborative Group was created to study the effectiveness of endarterectomy for patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. The study was reported in the JAMA journal in 1995 and examined the effects of endarterectomy on stroke and other embolic events in 519 patients with severe thoracic aortic plaque, as reported by the Tunick et al. study in 2002. In 2011, the American College of Cardiology Foundation, American Heart Association, and other related medical societies published a guideline on the management of patients with extracranial carotid and vertebral artery disease, based on the results of ACST and other studies. 