Acute extracranial occlusion of the internal carotid artery: emergent surgery remains a viable option.

Background: Acute symptomatic occlusion of extracranial internal carotid artery (eICA) can lead to a critical and potentially devastating stroke associated with high morbidity and mortality. Optimal treatment remains unclear. We analyzed our institutional experience with emergent surgical recanalization of acutely occluded eICA.