Abstract
A 64-year-old man with a history of smoking and hypercholesterolemia has a sudden, transient loss of vision in his left eye. The results of the physical examination are normal except for a bruit in the left side of the neck. High-resolution carotid ultrasonography demonstrates stenosis of 60 to 79 percent in the left carotid artery that is confirmed by magnetic resonance angiography. How should this patient be treated?