The Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon, Table of Contents Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2004; 52(2): 112-113DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-817815 Short Communication © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York Complete, Asymptomatic Occlusion of all Supraaortic Vessels H. J. Lutz1 , A. Menon1 , P. Vogt1 1Klinik für Herz- und Gefäßchirurgie der Justus Liebig Universität Gießen, Germany Recommend Article Abstract Buy Article All articles of this category Abstract A 63-year-old male patient with symptomatic cerebrovascular disease underwent bilateral carotid endarterectomy. In the following years progressive thickening of the intimal layer led to asymptomatic occlusion of all supraaortic vessels at the level of the transverse arch. Key words Stroke - carotid surgery - endarterectomy Full Text References References 1 Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study Group . Study design for randomized prospective trial of carotid endarterectomy for asymptomatic atherosclerosis. Stroke. 1989; 20 844-849 2 North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial Collaborators . Beneficial effect of carotid endarterectomy in symptomatic patients with high-grade carotid stenosis. N Engl J Med. 1991; 325 445-453 3 Verlato F, Caporese G, Bernadi E, Salmistraro G, Rocco S, Mayellaro V, Busonera F, Andreozzi G M. Clinical outcome of patients with internal carotid occlusion: a prospective follow-up study. J Vasc Surg. 2000; 32 293-298 4 Fearn S J, Picton A J, Mortimer A J, Parry A D, McCollum C N. The contribution of the external carotid artery to cerebral perfusion in carotid disease. J Vasc Surg. 2000; 31 989-993 5 Welch H J, Murphy M C, Raftery K B, Jewell E R. Carotid duplex with contralateral disease: the influence of vertebral artery blood flow. Ann Vasc Surg. 2000; 14 82-88 6 Vernieri F, Pasqualetti P, Matteis M, Passarelli F, Troisi E, Rossini P M, Caltagirone C, Silvestrini M. Effect of collateral blood flow and cerebral vasomotor reactivity on the outcome of carotid artery occlusion. Stroke. 2001; 32 1552-1558 7 Henderson R D, Eliasziw M, Fox A J, Rothwell P M, Barnett H J. Angiographically defined collateral circulation and risk of stroke in patients with severe carotid artery stenosis. NASCET Group. Stroke. 2000; 31 128-332 Dr. med. Hans-Joachim Lutz Klinik für Herz- und Gefäßchirurgie der Justus Liebig Universität Gießen Rudolf Buchheim Straße 7 35392 Gießen Germany Phone: 0641/9944301 Fax: 0641/9944309 Email: Hans-Joachim.Lutz@chiru.med.uni-giessen.de