Carotid Occlusive Disease
At CVTSA in northern Virginia, vascular surgeons with CVTSA routinely treat patients with carotid arterial disease.
The carotid arteries are blood vessels in the neck that supply blood to the brain. Plaque or the buildup of fatty material can result in narrowing, called a “stenosis” of the artery. This is the same kind of plaque that occurs in the arteries supplying blood to the heart. When in the neck, plaque particles that break can migrate to the brain, causing a stroke.
There are a number of risk factors that predispose someone to developing carotid occlusive disease including high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, heart disease and a family history of stroke.
To determine if you have carotid disease, a physician will use a stethoscope to listen to the blood flow in your neck. If he or she hears turbulent blood flow in the neck called a “bruit,” a duplex scan – essentially an ultrasound of your carotid arteries – will be ordered. This test is noninvasive, quick, and painless. Other confirmatory studies include an MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, and an angiogram.
If your physician wants a more detailed test, you will be sent for an angiogram, which is the “gold-standard” to confirm the degree of carotid blockage. This test is performed a vascular surgeon under X-ray imaging by placing a needle, wire, and hollow tubes called sheaths and catheters through the femoral artery in the groin. Then, contrast is injected directly into the carotid artery. The passage, or lack of passage of the contrast, tells me how severe the carotid artery blockage is.
Depending on what your studies show, you may be placed on medication to manage your disease process or, surgery may be recommended. If the blockage in your arteries is severe, it will be recommended that you undergo surgery to prevent a stroke. There are two options for carotid artery surgery: carotid endarterectomy and carotid stenting.
Carotid endarterectomy is performed by making a skin incision in the neck, along the course of the carotid artery. The artery is opened and plaque is removed. The artery is then reconstructed with a patch, blood flow is reestablished to the brain and the wound is closed.
Carotid stenting is performed under x-ray guidance by placing a needle puncture into the femoral artery (groin) and advancing a wire, sheath and catheter up to the carotid artery.
A filter basket to capture clots is deployed into the carotid artery beyond the plaque and a stent is deployed at the site of the plaque. Then, the wire, sheath and catheter are removed and the incision at your groin is closed.
If you are considering surgery for carotid occlusive disease, it is important that you are fully educated about your condition and that you select a surgeon and hospital with a high volume of experience performing open and endovascular surgery. Our team has extensive experience in treating carotid disease and while stroke is a risk factor for both types of procedure, our stroke rate is less than one half of one percent among more than 600 cases.
In Virginia finding the right doctor for vascular surgery or Vascular conditions is crucial. Find the virginia vascular surgeons/a> specialists.
What To Expect From A Thoracotomy
Some More Information on These Topics from Related Posts
No Comment Received
Leave A Reply