Kazandjian C, et al. - This multicentre study was performed to compare early outcomes after endarterectomy on the basis of cerebral infarcts (CI) location: territorial (T group) or border-zone (BZ) group. After carotid surgery, BZ infarcts carried a greater risk of postoperative complications. Therefore, implying that topography of the CI ought to be considered in the decision-making process regarding surgery.

• The physicians identified ischaemic stroke patients who had undergone surgery for symptomatic carotid stenosis from prospective databases from 3 French centres during the period between 2009 and 2013.
• For this study, the outcome was the identification of a combined stroke/death rate 30 days after endarterectomy.

• The physicians included 289 patients, 216 (74.7%) in the T group and 73 (25.3%) in the BZ group.
• In the 2 groups, the mean degree of stenosis was comparable (78 ± 12% in the T group vs. 80 ± 12% in the BZ group, p=0.105), with, however, more sub-occlusions (stenosis > 90%) in the BZ group (38.4 vs. 23.1%, p=0.012).
• With a majority of patients being operated upon within 2 weeks following the formation of CI (66.7% in the T group vs. 60.3% in the BZ group, p=0.322), the mean time between the time CI developed and the time surgery was performed was 19.6 ± 24.8 days.
• In the BZ group, the combined endpoint was significantly more frequent (9.6 vs. 1.9%,p=0.003), with 4 ischaemic strokes and 3 deaths.
• At 30 days, BZ CI was an independent predictor of postoperative stroke or death (HR 4.91-95% CI [1.3-18.9], p=0.020) in multivariate analysis.