STA-MCA bypass: results 10 years postoperatively.

The STA-MCA (superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery) bypass has become increasingly popular in the treatment of cerebral vascular disease. Indication and assessment of postoperative results have been based on clinical grounds and on findings from cerebral angiography (10). In order to obtain objective data, regional cerebral blood flow studies have been performed pre- and postoperatively in our institution since 1971 (5, 6, 12). The value of the bypass procedure is still controversial. The results of a multicenter cooperative study are not yet available. It is the purpose of this article to give the first report of a 10-year follow-up after bypass and to reevaluate the selection for bypass surgery.