Carotid bruit. Significance in patients undergoing an abdominal aortic operation.

Abstract

Records of 246 patients operated upon for abdominal aortic disease were reviewed. Of 200 patients operated upon electively, findings from auscultation of the neck were recorded in 196. In 40 a carotid bruit was present. Seven of these had a history of cerebral ischemia and in 33 the bruit was asymptomatic. Two patients operated uponelectively had postoperative stroke. Neither had a carotid bruit. Forty-six patients had emergency operation for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. Twenty-eight survived and 18 died. One patient had a postoperative stroke. Presence or absence of a carotid bruit was not recorded. The study does not find a correlation between the presence of a carotid bruit and risk of postoperative stroke. We conclude that in patients who need abdominal aortic operation, the finding of an asymptomatic carotid bruit is not an indication for preoperative cerebrovascular arteriography.