Psychological impact of carotid endarterectomy: A review of the studies

Abstract

Results of the 39 studies considered suggest that, although few studies show cognitive deterioration, most of them show stability with a tendency to improve both in cognitive functions and in other psychological areas. Further research is needed to clarify when it would be appropriate the use of CEA, the characteristics of eligible patients, and psychological as well as physical expected outcomes.

Cognitive changes after Carotid Endarterectomy

“…Many of the reported studies suffer from poor methodology [14]. To avoid some of the most frequent biases, we analyzed a homogeneous group formed by asymptomatic patients only, we controlled for the effects of variability in both cognitive function and depression at baseline, and we performed post-test at 3-months post treatment to avoid practice effects.…”

“…As some studies report an improvement of cognitive function, while others more recent studies do not show significant cognitive progress and few proved impairment [10][11][12][13][14], the role of CEA in the prevention of cognitive deterioration results controversial.…”