Surgical treatment remains the mainstay in the management of atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries. This makes the prevention of the most common postoperative complications an important and relevant issue. We conducted a prospective analysis of 109 patients divided into two groups after surgical treatment of atherosclerosis with either destruction (n1) or preservation (n2) of the carotid glomus. The study included both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with a degree of carotid artery stenosis greater than 60%, as well as those with unstable atherosclerotic plaques. Patients were excluded if they had experienced an acute stroke within the past 28 days, had decompensated cardiac pathology, occlusion or thrombosis of the carotid arteries, decompensated type 2 diabetes mellitus, malignant hypertension, or hypertension that could not be controlled through conservative measures. Based on our findings, we conclude that the removal of the carotid glomus affects the mean blood pressure levels during the early postoperative period but does not influence heart rate. For patients with severe comorbidities such as coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction in their medical history, previous strokes, and a tendency toward hypertensive crises, preserving the carotid glomus is recommended to ensure a smoother postoperative recovery and reduce the risk of postoperative complications. In the early postoperative period, patients whose carotid glomus was preserved developed neurological symptoms less frequently compared to those who underwent its removal. These symptoms typically occurred against a backdrop of sharply elevated blood pressure, and these patients required fewer additional antihypertensive medications (p < 0.05). Over the long term, however, no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups (p > 0.05).

Liliya Bulatova completed her Ph.D. at the age of 29 at the Petrovsky National Research Center of Surgery in Moscow, Russia. She is a vascular surgeon in the Vascular Surgery Department at the Petrovsky National Research Center of Surgery. She has published numerous articles in the fields of arterial and venous pathologies, both in Russian and international journals.