What happens during a carotid endarterectomy?
A 1.5 hour surgery procedure generally performed under local anesthesia.

Benefits and Complication of Carotid Artery Surgery
Artery surgery proven to reduce the risk of stroke, quick recovery vs. risk of perioperative stroke.

Carotid Artery Surgery, Angioplasty, Stenting Research at NYU
Current clinical trials evaluating and debating the best treatment methods for carotid artery disease.

Why Choose NYU for Carotid Artery Surgery?
The largest team of top-level vascular specialists, members of a leading academic medical center in New York City. Surgeons with commitment to finding the best treatment methods, success in surgical outcomes, extensively published medical experts who lead vascular research and treatment worldwide.

NYU's Carotid Artery Surgery Experts
Listing of NYU vascular surgeons who treat patients with carotid artery disease.

What happens during a carotid endarterectomy?

Once the diagnosis of significant carotid stenosis is made, the most appropriate therapy is vascular surgery, which may include carotid endarterectomy or carotid artery stenting. Your surgeon will help you decide which procedure is best for you. NYU's vascular surgeons offer both surgery options. Treatment is individualized to each patient.

At New York University Division of Vascular Surgery, 85% of carotid endarterectomies are performed under local anesthesia.

The surgery takes approximately 1.5 hours. Patients are admitted to the hospital on the same day of surgery.

Carotid Endarterectomy Procedure

1. A local anesthetic is administered and surgery begins.
2. The surgeon makes an incision along the side of the neck and located the cartoid artery.
3. The surgeon opens the artery, removes the plaque, and closes the artery with a patch commonly made of Dacron fabric.
4. Patients typically stay in the hospital overnight for observation.

More information about carotid endarterectomy is available on the Society for Vascular Surgery website.

Benefits and Complications of Carotid Artery Surgery

Carotid endarterectomy and carotid stenting have been proven to reduce the risk of stroke

Patients typically feel well in a matter of days following surgery.

Complications of Carotid Artery Surgery

The most common complication associated with surgery is stroke, which can occur in the perioperative period (during or shortly following surgery).

NYU's vascular surgeons have a 1–2% perioperative complication rate, one of the lowest worldwide, and a 1.5% morbidity rate in preventing stroke by removing plaque from arteries, the lowest in New York state.

Carotid Artery Surgery, Angioplasty, Stenting Research at NYU

Surgeons at NYU continually evaluate and debate the use of angioplasty and stents over carotid endarterectomy in treating carotid atherosclerosis. Current clinical trials include:

Why Choose NYU for Carotid Artery Surgery?

NYU Medical Center's vascular surgeons perform all types of carotid artery surgery—arterial stenting, angioplasty, and carotid endarterectomy—and critically evaluate each patient's unique vascular health needs to produce the best individualized treatment plan.

NYU Medical Center's Division of Vascular Surgery offers the largest team of top-level vascular specialists in New York City. Members of a leading academic medical center, NYU's vascular surgeons are deeply committed to finding the most advanced, innovative, proven methods to treat carotid artery atherosclerosis.

NYU's vascular surgeons have proven success in their outcomes, including complication and mortality rates among the lowest in the state, the nation, and the world.

NYU's vascular surgeons are academic experts in the area of carotid artery disease, having written volumes of articles, books, and papers on subjects including atherosclerosis, carotid artery stenosis, carotid artery stents, angioplasty, and carotid artery endarterectomy surgery. Vascular surgeons at NYU have contributed to the 2 most important papers published in medical literature regarding carotid stenosis:

1. "Endarterectomy for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis"
Journal of the American Medical Association. 1995, 273:1421-1428.

Details the Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis (ACAS) trial in which carotid endarterectomy proved more beneficial than medical management for asymptomatic carotid stenosis.

2. New England Journal of Medicine. 1991, 325:445-453.

The North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET), the most important trial for symptomatic carotid stenosis, demonstrated that carotid endarterectomy was more beneficial than medical therapy for symptomatic high-grade carotid artery stenosis.

Vascular Surgery

NYU Langone Medical Center
530 First Avenue
Arnold and Marie Schwartz Health Care Center (HCC)
Suite 6F
New York, NY 10016

Take the H elevators to the 6th floor. Our offices are at the end of the hall.

Phone: (212) 263-7311 (option 3, listen for the appropriate prompt)

Fax: (212) 263-7722

Mark A. Adelman, M.D.
Chief of Vascular Surgery

Neal Cayne, M.D.
Director of the NYU Endovascular Surgery Program

Glenn R. Jacobowitz, M.D.
Vice Chief of the NYU Division of Vascular Surgery / Director of Vascular Surgical Services at Tisch Hospital

Lowell S. Kabnick, M.D.
Director of the NYU Vein Center

Patrick J. Lamparello, M.D.
Vice-Chair of Vascular Surgery / Director of the Vascular Surgery Fellowship Program

Thomas Maldonado, M.D.
Chief of Vascular Surgery, Bellevue Hospital

Firas F. Mussa, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Surgery at the NYU School of Medicine

Thomas S. Riles, M.D.
Associate Dean for Medical Education and Technology / Frank C. Spencer Professor of Surgery 

Caron Rockman, M.D.
Director of Medical Education and the Director of Clinical Research for the NYU Division of Vascular Surgery

Frank J. Veith, M.D.
The First U.S. Surgeon to Perform an Endovascular Aneurysm Repair