Anesthesia Management for Carotid Endarterectomy: Review Article

Atherosclerotic carotid artery disease is responsible from 20% to 25% of ischemic stroke events. Open carotid surgery and stent insertion are two main types of treatment procedures. Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) can be performed under general anaesthesia, regional anaesthesia (interscalen block, cervical plexus block either by landmark technique or by US guidance), combination of general and regional anaesthesia, regional anaesthesia with combination of periferic block. The aim of all anesthesic techniques is to prevent pain during the three painful periods (1. Skin incision, 2. Insertion of a retromandibular retractor, 3. Perivascular preparation) during CEA). All techniques have their own advantages and disadvantages. But there is no certain data about which one is superior to other. There is no consensus on anaesthetic choice for CEA. At present regional anaesthesia versus general anaesthesia for patients undergoing CEA is still debate topic. Improvements in medical theraphy, use of cerebral monitoring, better timing for surgery after ischemic events, better surgical techniques, increased use of ultrasound for regional anaesthesia improve procedural outcomes. Despite these improvements, anaesthesia management is still deciding according to surgeon and anaesthesiologist preferences, the patient’s satisfaction and the conditions in the hospitals where we work.