Appropriate treatment of symptomatic carotid artery stenosis can reduce ischemic cerebral strokes' risk and in some cases eliminate neurological symptoms. Endarterectomy is the most common surgical treatment.
<bold>The aim of the study</bold> was to examine the influence of carotid endarterectomy on neurological symptoms and patients' life quality.
<bold>Material and methods.</bold> The material comprised of 102 patients who underwent endarterectomy. All of the patients were given a questionnaire with a list of neurological symptoms (vertigos, headaches, left hemiparesis, right hemiparesis, numbness, acroparaesthesia, single syncope, recurrent syncopies, diplopia, tinnitus, concentration disturbances and aphasia) and with a numerical life quality scale to fill in before and a year after the surgery.
<bold>Results.</bold> Vertigo, headache, single and recurrent syncopies and aphasia as well as cerebral stroke and amaurosis fugax were significantly more rarely observed after endarterectomy. The mean value of patients' life quality evaluated on a 10-point Likert scale after the surgery increased (3.9 vs 6.3).
<bold>Conclusions.</bold> A year after carotid endarterectomy patients' life quality improves which is connected with neurological symptoms' regression and no further symptoms' occurrence due to a preventive role of the surgery.