Patient baseline characteristics
| Patient characteristics (n = 51) | |
| Age ± SD (y) | 69 ± 11 |
| Male, n (%) | 43 (84.3) |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 36 (70.6) |
| Hypercholesterolemia, n (%) | 33 (64.7) |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 12 (23.5) |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 5 (9.8) |
| Family history of cardiovascular disease, n (%) | 15 (29.4) |
| Risk factors for carotid endarterectomy | |
| Previous carotid endarterectomy, n (%) | 15 (29.4) |
| Contralateral carotid artery occlusion, n (%) | 14 (27.5) |
| Previous radical neck dissection or radiation therapy in neck region, n (%) | 6 (11.8) |
| Target lesion above C2 (level of jaw), n (%) | 2 (3.9) |
| Low cervical carotid lesions, n (%) | 2 (3.9) |
| Dissection, n (%) | 0 (0.0) |
| Inability to extend the neck, n (%) | 2 (3.9) |
| Tandem lesions ≥70% stenosis, n (%) | 6 (11.8) |
| Contralateral laryngeal palsy, n (%) | 0 (0.0) |
| At risk for wound infection, n (%) | 0 (0.0) |
| Tracheostomy, n (%) | 2 (3.9) |
| Patients >80 years of age, n (%) | 8 (15.7) |
| Myocardial infarction within previous 6 weeks, n (%) | 1 (2.0) |
| Unstable angina (according to Braunwald classification), n (%) | 5 (9.8) |
| Severe renal failure (serum creatinine >2 mg/dL), n (%) | 0 (0.0) |
| Elective coronary artery bypass grafting scheduled (≥30 days after procedure), n (%) | 1 (2.0) |
| New York Heart Association class III or IV heart failure, n (%) | 7 (13.7) |
| COPD with FEV1 <30% predicted, n (%) | 2 (3.9) |
| History of liver failure with elevated prothrombin time | 0 (0.0) |
Note:—COPD indicates chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; FEV1, forced expiration volume in 1 second.