Abstract
Objective: The aim of the study is to assess cognitive performance of patients treated by carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in patients with GREATER-THAN OR EQUAL TO 70% internal carotid artery stenosis. Our study is part of multicentric SONOBIRDIE Trial.
This is a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study designed to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of sonolysis in reduction of risk of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), brain infarctions and cognitive decline, by the activation of endogenous fibrinolytic system during CEA. Methods: Between November 2016 and October 2017 we evaluated 25 patients before and one month after CEA.
We compared RBANS Index Scores before and after intervention. All patients underwent standard preoperative neurological and radiological evaluation.
Results: In our preliminary results we found improvement after CEA in following domains: Language (p < .001), Delayed Memory (p = .026) and Total Scale (p = .006). No cognitive deterioration was found in any patient.
Conclusions: Many patients indicated for CEA due to internal carotid artery stenosis are affected by cognitive impairment. The CEA not only reduces the long-term risk of ischemic stroke but also improves neuropsychological performance.
There is a risk of an embolization stroke and silent microembolization due to the surgery in a small percentage of cases, which may also have a negative effect on cognitive functioning. Our results showed no cognitive impairment after CEA.