Abstract

Our statement that in patients with transient brain ischaemia carotid endarterectomy reduces the risk of a subsequent stroke from 28% to 3% (based on the report by Wylie & Ehrenfeld, 1970) should have been qualified. We should have referred also to the study by W. S. Fields et al. (J. Amer. med. Ass. 1970, 211, 1993), in which 4% of the surgically treated patients with unilateral carotid stenosis and 12% of the controls had a stroke during the follow-up period of, on average, 3½ years. These results are based on a small total number of strokes and remain inconclusive. The paper by Whisnant was cited in error. The conclusion of our article is not affected.