The carotid arteries are a pair of blood vessels located on both sides of your neck that deliver blood to your brain and head. Stenosis is the abnormal narrowing of a passage in the body.
Carotid Artery Stenosis is the narrowing of the carotid arteries in the neck that carry blood from the heart to the brain. This can be caused by cholesterol build-up in the blood vessels (atherosclerosis). If blood clots form here, they can move up to the brain. If this condition is discovered as a result of a stroke, a neurosurgeon who specializes in endovascular treatment may prescribe blood thinners or perform a procedure emergently to open the blood vessel to improve blood flow to the brain. If the narrowing(stenosis) is found on routine examination the surgeon may recommend a stent or surgery to open the narrowing to prevent future stroke.
Treatments May Include
· Blood Pressure Control and Quitting Smoking
· Statin Drugs
· Surgery - Carotid Stenting or Carotid Endarterectomy
· Procedure - Angioplasty
“During a carotid angioplasty and stenting procedure, doctors use a thin tube with a balloon at its tip to open up the artery. This would then lead the way to place a metal tube called a stent.” Ravi Gandhi, MD – Orlando Neurosurgery
Dr. Gandhi is a board-certified neurosurgeon who is fellowship-trained in Cerebrovascular, Endovascular, and Skull Base Neurosurgery. He specializes in using predominantly minimally invasively techniques (with no incision) in treating cerebrovascular disorders of the brain and spine including:
· arteriovenous malformations (avm)
· carotid and vertebral artery stenosis
Image Credit- John Hopkins Medicine
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