Is stroke prevention surgery worth the risk?

Stroke prevention surgical procedures do not equate with the increased surgical dangers high-risk patients face, it has been suggested.

In news that may be of interest to anti-aging physicians, new research published in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons revealed that individuals with a variety of medical conditions - including high blood pressure and coronary artery disease - can achieve positive outcomes from undergoing carotid endarterectomy.

This is a stroke-preventing operation that involves clearing blockages from the neck's carotid arteries, Eurekalert notes.

It was previously suggested that such patients should receive alternative therapies in order to lower the risk of complications.

Some 120 individuals had the outcomes of their carotid endarterectomy analyzed as part of the retrospective research.

Alan Dardik, of the Yale University School of Medicine, said: "The presence of multiple medical comorbidities is not sufficient to automatically rule out this treatment, which has demonstrated long-term efficacy in preventing stroke in medically high-risk patients."

In related news, a team of University of California, San Diego School of Medicine physician-researchers has announced that lowering cholesterol early in life could ultimately save lives.

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