WAITING times are improving for an operation that plays a vital role in reducing the risk of stroke.

But just a quarter of patients in south east Wales who required a procedure called a carotid endarterectomy had their surgery within the recommended 14 days, according to a UK-wide audit of 120 NHS bodies.

The operation involves stripping away fat and cholesterol from the lining of the carotid arteries, situated on either side of the neck, which supply the brain with blood and oxygen.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) says its recommended 14-day symptom-to-treatment period is not yet being achieved.

The UK Carotid Endarterectomy Audit (CEA) concludes that the target of 48 hours by 2017, proposed in the National Stroke Strategy, will be “a major challenge.”

Endarterectomy helps prevent two potential causes of stroke – a blockage of the arteries stopping the vital supplies of blood to the brain, and the breaking off of fatty deposits that can then lodge in the brain.

Just 27 per cent of the 73 patients in south-east Wales, which includes Gwent, included in the audit had surgery within 14 days of their first symptom. This rate was better than 41 other parts of the UK, but worse than 80.

Rates varied across the UK.

Forty-seven per cent of south-east Wales patients had their operation within 14 days of referral, better than 46 other areas, but worse than 77.