ABSTRACT
The “stump” syndrome, as described previously in the text and illustrated in Figure 2-15, occurs when the internal carotid artery has occluded spontaneously, but distal to the carotid bulb, leaving a blind sac or stump. The stump may be small or quite large. TIAs can ensue when embolic material forms in the stump and embolizes up the ECA and into the cerebral circulation by trans-ophthalmic collateral pathways. I believe that symptomatic stumps should be surgically repaired, although the necessity to treat asymptomatic stumps is less clear.
