High Mini-Skin Incision during Carotid Endarterectomy for Carotid Stenosis

Background: Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is used to treat carotid stenosis, which is associated with cerebral infarction and may result in neurologic deficits such as stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and local nerve injury. To decrease surgery-related complications and improve patient satisfaction with esthetic outcomes, efforts have been made to minimize incision size instead of using a standard longitudinal incision. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 151 cases of CEA, of which 110 used conventional incisions and 41 used high mini-skin incisions (HMIs), from March 2015 to December 2021 at a single institution. Short-term (30-day) postoperative results were evaluated for rates of mortality, stroke, TIA, and cranial/cervical nerve injuries. Risk factors for nerve injury were also assessed. Results: The HMI group showed significantly (p