What is the efficacy of intraoperative epiaortic ultrasound scanning for preventing stroke after coronary artery bypass surgery?
The efficacy of intraoperative epiaortic ultrasound scanning for preventing stroke after coronary artery bypass surgery was investigated in a study conducted by Yamaguchi et al. (2009). The results of the study showed that the incidence of postoperative stroke was significantly lower in the group of CABG patients who underwent intraoperative epiaortic ultrasound scanning compared to those who did not (4% vs 11.6%). Additionally, the risk of stroke was shown to be significantly reduced in patients in whom epiaortic ultrasound scanning revealed a localized lesion in the ascending aorta. These findings suggest that intraoperative epiaortic ultrasound scanning may be an effective tool for reducing the risk of stroke after coronary artery bypass surgery.