Henvisning til carotiskirurgi 1977-1986. Henvisningsmønstret for patienter med carotisstenose i Rigshospitalets optageområde vurderet over en 10 års periode

Although carotid endarterectomy has been carried out for over 30 years, there are as yet no investigations which prove the value of this form of treatment with certainty. Attitudes to carotid surgery also vary greatly. The authors have assessed this variation during the period 1977-1986 on the basis of the lists of patients admitted to the Department of Vascular Surgery in the University Hospital. Patients from Funen and Jutland were excluded from the material because endarterectomy is also carried out in hospitals in these regions. A total of 720 patients from two extensive municipalities and six counties were admitted. During the period involved, increase in the number of referrals and also in the number of operations carried out occurred until 1984. After this, and in accordance with the global more restrictive attitudes, fewer patients were referred. Great regional variations were found as 8-10 as many patients per 100,000 inhabitants between 50 and 70 years were referred from the Municipality of Copenhagen as from the county which referred fewest patients. It is concluded that there are considerable differences in the treatment of patients with carotid stenosis within the catchment region of the University Hospital in Copenhagen.