1986 Volume 47 Issue 12 Pages 1574-1577
A case of reconstruction of the carotid artery in radical surgery for thyroid carcinoma is reported.
The patient was a 64-year-old woman who had undergone three operations for thyroid cancer. On the last occasion, lymph node metastasis invading the left common carotid artery was not removed and was left in situ. After heparinization, a temporary shunt was set up between the common and internal carotid arteries. A portion of the common carotid artery which had been invaded by the tumor, measuring 18×9mm, was resected, and the defect was patched with the saphenous vein. The shunt tube was taken out, and the arteriotomies were closed. The longest clamping time was 17 minutes. The blood flow was continuously measured with a Doppler flow-meter throughout the reconstruction. EEG monitoring revealed no abnormalities during and after surgery.
