Carotid endarterectomy in nonagenarians.

Hypothesis: The North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial and the European Carotid Surgery Trial demonstrated that a greater benefit from carotid endarterectomy (CEA) was seen in elderly compared with younger patients. However, no patients older than 89 years were included in either study. We hypothesized that CEA is safe and effective in patients 89 years and older.