What is the Carotid Artery?

There are two main carotid arteries, one on each side of the neck. Each carotid artery carries major blood flow to the brain. Often involved with atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)


What are symptoms of carotid artery disease?

Warning Signs of Stroke

The most common sign of stroke is sudden weakness of the face, arm or leg, most often on one side of the body.

Other warning signs can include:

Sudden numbness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body

Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech

Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination

Sudden severe headache with no known cause

The signs of a stroke depend on the side of the brain that's affected, the part of the brain, and how severely the brain is injured. Therefore, each person may have different stroke warning signs. A stroke may be associated with a headache, or may be completely painless.

How do symptoms occur?

Pieces of plaque or clot within the artery can break off and flow to the brain causing the symptoms described above. The risk of this occurring increases with increased narrowing of the carotid artery. Sometimes the blockages are so severe that there is a general reduction of blood flow to the brain causing generalized symptoms.

How do I know if I have carotid disease?

When your physician listens to your neck, he/she may hear a bruit (pronounced "broo-ee") which indicates possible carotid disease. If you have symptoms such as garbled speech, arm or leg weakness or numbness or visual loss, you need to let your doctor know at once. A carotid artery duplex ultrasound is used to confirm the degree of narrowing in the artery. This can help predict how urgent the situation is.

What if I have carotid artery stenosis (narrowing)?

The degree of narrowing is very important. Patients with minimal stenosis usually require no treatment except periodic evaluations. Patients with no symptoms but more significant narrowing should have an evaluation by a vascular specialist to discuss treatment options. Patients with symptoms who have a moderate to significant stenosis need to be evaluated by a vascular surgeon to discuss the possibility of carotid endarterectomy. The risk of stroke in patients who have significant narrowing has been proven to be higher when patients are treated without surgery. Some patients with carotid artery stenosis can reduce the risk of stroke by taking aspirin or plavix, but still surgery is considered the treatment of choice for most patients.

Is this a common problem?

Yes. In fact, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the USA. There are 500,000 to 600,000 new strokes a year and most are due to carotid artery disease. Not all strokes are fatal and several million Americans are alive with some element of permanent disability due to a stroke. Carotid artery surgery is the most common peripheral vascular procedure performed in America.

What can I expect with surgery?

Carotid endarterectomy is the standard procedure used for carotid stenosis. The reasons we recommend this surgery is to prevent stroke and improve generalized brain blood flow. Carotid endarterectomy cannot reverse any changes which have already occurred. The surgery will not reverse a stroke. Carotid endarterectomy is a common vascular surgery procedure. It usually takes 1 ½ to 2 hours and requires an overnight hospital stay. There is little discomfort associated with the operation. Recovery is short and patients typically return to normal preoperative condition within a week or two.


Carotid Conditions Information

Carotid Endarterectomy

Views of a Carotid Endarterectomy

Carotid Endarterectomy Update

CAROTID ENDARTERECTOMY

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