The correlation between carotid plaque ulceration and cerebral infarction seen on CT scan.

The purpose of the study was to determine the association between cerebral infarction seen on CT scan and macroscopic ulceration of atheromatous carotid plaques in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. Following carotid endarterectomy in 65 patients, specimens were examined for the presence of ulceration without knowing the result of the preoperative CT brain scan. The 65 patients thus investigated underwent 68 carotid endarterectomies: 36 for a history of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), 13 for amaurosis fugax, and six for prior strokes; 13 asymptomatic patients had prophylactic carotid endarterectomy prior to coronary bypass.

Intermittent sequential pneumatic compression of the legs and thromboembolism-deterrent stockings in the prevention of postoperative deep venous thrombosis.

One hundred fifty patients over the age of 30 who had undergone major abdominal operations were stratified according to the risk of deep venous thrombosis and randomized into three groups to receive different prophylactic regimens: group A, electrical calf stimulation; group B, low-dose subcutaneous heparin; group C, intermittent sequential compression and thromboembolism-deterrent (TED) stockings. All the patients were scanned with the 125I-fibrinogen test for the whole stay in hospital. The incidence of 125I-fibrinogen detected deep venous thrombi was 18% in group A, 9% in group B, and 4% in group C.