Surgical exposure of the carotid artery for endovascular interventional procedures.

BACKGROUND: Transfemoral approach for endovascular interventions is not always possible in cases of unfavorable anatomy. We report our experience using a transcervical approach with carotid cut down and direct, controlled puncture of the carotid artery.
METHODS: Four patients underwent surgical exposure of the carotid artery for endovascular procedures. One patient had retrograde placement of a stent in the common carotid artery, and three patients had coiling of an intracranial aneurysm. After the endovascular procedure, the sheath was removed and the vessel was closed, under direct visualization.
RESULTS: The technique allowed access to extracranial and intracranial lesions. There were no access site complications. There were no access site-related cardiac, systemic, or neurologic events.
CONCLUSIONS: Transcervical access with surgical exposure of the carotid artery for direct and controlled vascular puncture is an effective alternative for endovascular extracranial and intracranial procedures in patients in whom the femoral route cannot be used.