Carotid endarterectomy indications and technique — MCQs

A 71-year-old woman presents with a transient episode of right arm and hand weakness that resolved in approximately one hour. Her symptoms started while she was gardening. Her past medical history is notable for hypertension, diabetes, anxiety, and dyslipidemia. Her current medications include insulin, metformin, and fluoxetine. Examination reveals a left carotid bruit. Ultrasound duplex of her carotid arteries demonstrates right and left carotid stenosis of 35% and 50%, respectively. Which of the following is the best next step in management?

A 68-year-old man is brought to the emergency department because of right-sided weakness for 2 hours. He has hypertension, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes. Current medications include hydrochlorothiazide, metoprolol, amlodipine, pravastatin, and metformin. His pulse is 87/min and blood pressure is 164/98 mm Hg. Neurological examination shows right-sided weakness, facial droop, and hyperreflexia. Sensation is intact. Which of the following is the most likely cause of these findings?

A 78-year-old man is brought in to the emergency department by ambulance after his wife noticed that he began slurring his speech and had developed facial asymmetry during dinner approximately 30 minutes ago. His past medical history is remarkable for hypertension and diabetes. His temperature is 99.1°F (37.3°C), blood pressure is 154/99 mmHg, pulse is 89/min, respirations are 12/min, and oxygen saturation is 98% on room air. Neurologic exam reveals right upper and lower extremity weakness and an asymmetric smile. Which of the following is the next best step in management?

An 85-year-old woman otherwise healthy presents with left-sided weakness. Her symptoms started 4 hours ago while she was on the phone with her niece. The patient recalls dropping the phone and not being able to pick it up with her left hand. No significant past medical history. No current medications. Physical examination reveals decreased sensation on the left side, worse in the left face and left upper extremity. There is significant weakness of the left upper extremity and weakness and drooping of the lower half of the left face. Ophthalmic examination reveals conjugate eye deviation to the right. A noncontrast CT of the head is unremarkable. The patient is started on aspirin. A repeat contrast CT of the head a few days later reveals an ischemic stroke involving the lateral convexity of right cerebral hemisphere. Which of the following additional findings would most likely be seen in this patient?

A 76-year-old man comes to the emergency department because of an episode of seeing jagged edges followed by loss of central vision in his right eye. The episode occurred 6 hours ago and lasted approximately 5 minutes. The patient has no pain. He has a 3-month history of intermittent blurriness out of his right eye and reports a 10-minute episode of slurred speech and left-sided facial droop that occurred 2 months ago. He has hypercholesterolemia, stable angina pectoris, hypertension, and a 5-year history of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Medications include glyburide, atorvastatin, labetalol, isosorbide, lisinopril, and aspirin. He feels well. He is oriented to person, place, and time. His temperature is 37°C (98.6°F), pulse is 76/min, respirations are 12/min, and blood pressure is 154/78 mm Hg. The extremities are well perfused with strong peripheral pulses. Ophthalmologic examination shows visual acuity of 20/30 in the left eye and 20/40 in the right eye. Visual fields are normal. Fundoscopic examination shows two pale spots along the supratemporal and inferotemporal arcade. Neurologic examination shows no focal findings. Cardiopulmonary examination shows systolic rumbling at the right carotid artery. The remainder of the examination shows no abnormalities. An ECG shows normal sinus rhythm with no evidence of ischemia. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

A 24-year-old man is brought to the emergency department 30 minutes after being involved in a high-speed motor vehicle collision in which he was a restrained driver. On arrival, he is alert and oriented. His pulse is 112/min, respirations are 29/min, and blood pressure is 100/60 mm Hg. The pupils are equal and reactive to light. There is a 3-cm laceration over the forehead and multiple bruises over the trunk. The lungs are clear to auscultation. Cardiac examination shows no abnormalities. The abdomen is soft and nontender. The right knee is swollen and tender; range of motion is limited by pain. Infusion of 0.9% saline is begun and intravenous acetaminophen is administered. Two hours later, blood-tinged fluid spontaneously drains from both nostrils, and is made worse by leaning forward. On a piece of gauze, it shows up as a rapidly-expanding clear ring of fluid surrounding blood. Further evaluation of this patient is most likely to show which of the following?

An 81-year-old woman presents to her physician complaining of occasional right-sided weakness in her arm and leg. She reports 3 such episodes over the last 6 months, each lasting only 1 hour and not significantly affecting her daily functioning. The patient denies numbness and tingling, pain, weakness in her left side, and changes in her speech. She has a past medical history of hypertension and coronary artery disease with stable angina, and her medications include 81 mg aspirin, 20 mg lisinopril, 5 mg amlodipine, and 20 mg atorvastatin daily. The patient reports a 40-pack-year smoking history and occasional alcohol intake. At this visit, her temperature is 98.5°F (36.9°C), blood pressure is 142/87 mmHg, pulse is 70/min, and respirations are 14/min. She has a grade II systolic ejection murmur best heard at the right upper sternal border, and there is a carotid bruit on the left side. Her lungs are clear. Neurologic exam reveals intact cranial nerve function, 1+ deep tendon reflexes in bilateral patellae and biceps, as well as 5/5 strength and intact pinprick sensation in all extremities. Carotid ultrasound is performed and identifies 52% stenosis on the right side and 88% on the left. Which of the following is the best next step in management?

A 63-year-old female with known breast cancer presents with progressive motor weakness in bilateral lower extremities and difficulty ambulating. Physical exam shows 4 of 5 motor strength in her legs and hyper-reflexia in her patellar tendons. Neurologic examination 2 weeks prior was normal. Imaging studies, including an MRI, show significant spinal cord compression by the metastatic lesion and complete erosion of the T12 vertebrae. She has no metastatic disease to the visceral organs and her oncologist reports her life expectancy to be greater than one year. What is the most appropriate treatment?

A 65-year-old man comes to the emergency department because of sudden, worsening pain in his right calf and foot that started 30 minutes ago. He also has a tingling sensation and weakness in his right leg. He has had no similar episodes, recent trauma, or claudication. He has type 2 diabetes mellitus and was diagnosed with hypertension 20 years ago. His sister has systemic sclerosis. He works as an office administrator and sits at his desk most of the day. He has smoked one and a half packs of cigarettes daily for 30 years. Current medications include metformin and lisinopril. His pulse is 110/min, respirations are 16/min, and blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg. His right leg is pale and cool to touch. Muscle strength in his right leg is mildly reduced. Pedal pulses are absent on the right. Which of the following is the most likely underlying cause of this patient's symptoms?

A 79-year-old man is brought to the emergency department after he noted the abrupt onset of weakness accompanied by decreased sensation on his left side. His symptoms developed rapidly, peaked within 1 minute, and began to spontaneously resolve 10 minutes later. Upon arrival in the emergency room 40 minutes after the initial onset of symptoms, they had largely resolved. The patient has essential hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and a 50 pack-year smoking history. He also had an ST-elevation myocardial infarction 3 years ago. His brain CT scan without contrast is reported as normal. Carotid duplex ultrasonography reveals 90% stenosis of the right internal carotid. His transthoracic echocardiogram does not reveal any intracardiac abnormalities. Which of the following interventions is most appropriate for this patient's condition?