The Efficacy of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Monitoring in Carotid Endarterectomy: A Prospective, Single-Center, Observational Study

There has been no gold standard for intraoperative monitoring in carotid endarterectomy (CEA) till now. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the value of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) monitoring in CEA and explore the thresholds for intraoperative cerebral hypoperfusion. Eighty-four consecutive patients who underwent CEA surgery in Xuan Wu Hospital of Capital Medical University from August 2015 to June 2016 were enrolled in this study. All patients were intraoperatively monitored by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) and NIRS. Regional oxygen saturation (rSO2) monitored by NIRS and blood flow velocity of the middle cerebral artery (V-MCA) monitored by TCD were continuously recorded. Correlation analysis was conducted for NIRS and TCD monitoring values. Intraoperative shunting was performed in five patients according to the TCD monitoring results and surgeon preference. During clamping of the carotid artery, the Pearson correlation index between rSO2 and V-MCA was 0.581 (P