Cerebral emboli from the 'stump' of a totally occluded carotid artery: surgical management.

The obstructing thrombus in a totally occluded internal carotid artery may act as a source of cerebral emboli. These emboli traverse the external carotid and ophthalmic arteries and enter the intracranial circulation via retrograde collateral pathways. Surgical treatment can result in complete abatement of symptoms in selected patients. The authors describe internal carotid "stump" syndrome in a 47-year-old man and discuss the options for surgical management.