Cerebrovascular & Carotid
Artery Disease
Common Questions & Answers
What is carotid artery disease?
What are the symptoms of carotid artery disease?
What causes carotid artery disease?
What is carotid endarterectomy?
What is carotid artery stenting?
What is carotid artery disease?
Carotid artery disease occurs when the major arteries in
your neck become narrowed or blocked. These arteries, called
the carotid arteries, supply your brain with blood. Your
carotid arteries extend from your aorta in your chest
to the brain inside your skull.
What are the symptoms of carotid artery disease?
Carotid artery disease may not cause symptoms in its
early stages.
Unfortunately, the first sign of carotid artery disease could
be a stroke. However, you may experience warning symptoms
of a stroke called transient ischemic attacks, or TIAs. Symptoms
of a TIA usually last for a few minutes to 1 hour and include:
- Feeling weakness, numbness, or a tingling sensation on
one side of your body, for example, in an arm or a leg
- Being unable to control the movement of an arm or a leg
- Losing vision in one eye (many people describe this sensation
as a window shade coming down)
- Being unable to speak
clearly
What causes carotid artery disease?
Hardening of the arteries causes most cases of carotid artery
disease.
What is carotid endarterectomy?
Carotid endarterectomy is an operation that removes the
inner lining of your carotid artery. This procedure eliminates
a substance called plaque from your artery.
What is carotid artery stenting?
Carotid artery stenting is a procedure in which your vascular
surgeon inserts a slender, metal-mesh tube, called a stent,
which expands inside your carotid artery to increase blood
flow in areas blocked by plaque.
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