What is the usefulness of emergent or urgent carotid endarterectomy/carotid angioplasty and stenting when clinical indicators or brain imaging suggests a small infarct core with large territory at risk?
The usefulness of emergent or urgent carotid endarterectomy (CEA)/carotid angioplasty and stenting when clinical indicators or brain imaging suggests a small infarct core with large territory at risk (eg, penumbra), compromised by inadequate flow from a critical carotid stenosis or occlusion, or in the case of acute neurological deficit after CEA, in which acute thrombosis of the surgical site is suspected, is not well established. However, in patients with unstable neurological status (eg, stroke-in-evolution), the efficacy of emergency or urgent CEA /carotid angioplasty and stenting is not well established.