Researchers establish new rule to predict risk of stroke, death from surgery that prevents it
DALLAS – Dec. 10, 2010 – It's a medical Catch-22: carotid artery surgery can itself cause stroke, but so can asymptomatic carotid disease if left untreated.
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have now developed a clinical risk prediction rule using factors such as sex, race and health history to assess the danger the surgery poses, while a modified version will help patients make a more fully informed choice about whether to have the procedure.
"It may take a thief to catch a thief, but physicians don't want to cause stroke while trying to prevent stroke, so ...