Comparative results after endarterectomy of the internal carotid artery performed with or without a shunt.

One hundred endarterectomies of the internal carotid artery have been performed from March 1984 to December 1985; 50 were carried out with a Javid shunt, and 50 were performed without using a shunt. There was no peroperative or hospital deaths. Five operations performed with the use of a shunt and 4 performed without a shunt were followed by a central nervous system deficit. The frequency of central neurological complications is thus not statistically different, but the time of onset and the likely cause of the deficit are different.