Carotid Artery Endarterectomy Effect on Choroidal Thickness: One-Year Follow-Up.

Purpose: To evaluate the change in choroidal thickness after carotid artery endarterectomy (CEA) in patients without retinal pathology.

Methods: A prospective series of patients who underwent CEA at the Tel Aviv Medical Center. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was performed one day before the CEA and at least 6 months after. Data included medical history, smoking history, percentage of carotid stenosis before and after CEA, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), and choroidal thickness (subfoveal, 500 m, 1000 m, and 1500 m nasal and temporal).

Results: Eight patients (seven male and one female) with a mean age of 70.5 ± 6.1 years were included in the study. The mean internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis was 89.8% ± 5.1 in the operated side, 33.7% ± 10.9 in the nonoperated side ( < 0.0001), and 0% after CEA ( < 0.0001). Operated side BCVA was 0.35 ± 0.66 compared to 0.61 ± 0.83 in the nonoperated side (=0.51). The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFChT) of the operated side was 277 ± 67 m compared to 268 ± 71 m in the nonoperated side (=0.81). SFChT and CMT after CEA were 275 ± 64 m (=0.96) and 268 ± 29 m (=0.98), respectively.

Conclusions: SFChT and CMT in patients without retinal or choroidal pathology and significant ICA stenosis can be normal and may not change after successful ipsilateral CEA.