Stroke as a complication of carotid endarterectomy has been extensively reviewed. Considerably less attention has been directed to local injuries of the cranial nerves and their branches. Verta, Hertzer, Imparato, DeWeese, and Matsumoto have reported experience with these injuries. DeWeese found a 9.7% rate of cranial nerve injury, while in Hertzer's series, 15% of patients had nerve dysfunction in the early postendarterectomy period. In 1980, Liapis in a preliminary report found that when postoperative examination was supplemented by detailed evaluation by speech pathologists, the incidence of early abnormalities reached 27%. The purpose of this study was to expand upon Liapis' early observation and to clarify the contribution of the speech pathologists in identifying cranial nerve dysfunctions, specifically those resulting in motor speech abnormalities, following carotid endarterectomy.

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