2022 Volume 50 Issue 2 Pages 91-95
Introduction: Skin incisions made for carotid endarterectomies (CEA) are mainly classified into longitudinal or transverse types. A wider operative field can be achieved with longitudinal incisions, whereas transverse incisions are more cosmetic. We retrospectively investigated the relationship between lesion length and skin incision length for CEA with transverse incisions.
Methods: We investigated 20 consecutive patients who underwent CEA at our institution and followed them for more than one year. Lesion length was measured on preoperative digital subtraction angiography or three-dimensional computed tomography. The skin incision length was extracted from the operative record.
Results: The minimum and maximum lesion lengths were 8.7 mm and 38.8 mm, respectively. The minimum and maximum skin incision lengths were 63 mm and 87 mm, respectively. Lesion dilatation was achieved, and no restenosis was observed in any cases. Transient peripheral facial nerve paresis was recognized in one patient (5%).
Conclusion: CEA using a transverse incision can be performed when the skin incision length is 30-50 mm longer than the lesion length. Transverse incisions are not only superior cosmetically, their use results in satisfactory surgical outcomes.
