Surgical treatment of patients with a carotid artery occlusion and a contralateral stenosis.

Patients with a carotid artery occlusion and a haemodynamically significant contralateral stenosis have an increased risk of incurring a stroke. Based on the results of a series of 33 patients our conclusion is that the surgical therapy of choice should be endarterectomy of the stenotic artery irrespective of which side the symptoms are located on. Only those patients who continue to have TIA's on the side of the occlusion after endarterectomy of the stenotic side should be considered for an ECIC bypass.