EFFECTS OF POST-STROKE REHABILITATION IN PATIENTSAFTER CAROTID ENDARTERECTOMY
Stroke is known to be the second leading cause of death and the first cause of disability rate. Only 20 % of patients return to work after stroke, while 80 % become disabled.The objective of this study is to examine the results of post-stroke rehabilitation in patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy in acute and subacute phases of ischemic stroke.Materials and Methods. The authors consider the rehabilitation effects of 28 patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy for carotid artery stenosis (>60 %). The surgical procedure was conducted in the acute or subacute phases of the stroke. The experimental group consisted of 15 patients with carotid artery stenosis (<60 %) after ischemic stroke, treated conservatively. Neurological examination including the modified Rankin scale, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Rivermead mobility index, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were performed on the first days of stroke, on discharging from hospital, and in 6 and 12 months after the stroke.Results. The study showed that neurologic symptoms regressed to a greater or lesser degree in all patients. More evident regression was observed in the group of postoperative patients. The anxiety- depressive disorders and cognitive impairments, peculiar to a number of patients, regressed more profoundly in the patients of this group.