Criteria for high-risk patients
| Criteria |
|---|
| Clinically significant cardiac disease |
| Congestive heart failure (NYHA functional class III/IV) |
| Abnormal stress test |
| Need for open-heart surgery |
| Unstable angina (CCS class III/IV) |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction ≤30% |
| Planned coronary artery bypass graft or valve replacement |
| Severe pulmonary disease |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease manifested with FEV ≤ 30% |
| Contralateral carotid occlusion or stenosis |
| Previous radical neck surgery or radiation therapy to the neck |
| Recurrent stenosis after endarterectomy |
| Age ≥75 years |
| Surgically inaccessible lesion at or above C2 or below the clavicle |
| Laryngeal palsy or laryngectomy |
| Symptom onset within 2 weeks |
| Neurologic symptoms change (≥NIHSS 4) within 48 hours from onset |
| Arteriosclerosis obliterans |
| Cancer |
| History of major surgery within the past year |
| Renal problem (creatinine level >1.5 mg/dL) |