This is the first prospective, long-term study of the relationship between atherosclerosis in the aorta and risk of stroke and death. Now that we've identified patients at risk the next step is to identify treatments that can lower the risk. During the surgery, the researchers made images of the ascending aorta using a technique called epiaortic ultrasound.
Stroke is a major problem in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
Depending upon patient age and other risk factors, up to 15 percent have strokes during or soon after surgery. These investigators previously had shown that hardening of the aorta was a risk factor for those strokes. More than half of the patients in this study had no signs of atherosclerosis. About 24 percent had mild disease, while 13 percent were classified as moderate. Although some patients from all four groups suffered neurologic events or died in the years after their surgery, the rates were significantly higher in those with the most advanced atherosclerosis.