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Carotid artery occlusive disease - when your arteries narrow
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The major risk factors for the disease include atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries" elsewhere in the body, a history of smoking, diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol levels, poor nutrition, obesity, and lack of exercise.
The carotid arteries are paired arteries in the neck that serve as the major blood supply to the brain. When atherosclerosis (plaque) builds up in the carotid artery, blood flow to the brain may be impaired, increasing your risk of stroke.
Surprisingly most patients with carotid artery occlusive disease have few complaints or symptoms.
If carotid artery disease is suspected, your physician will suggest a carotid ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis; followed by an MR or CT angiogram to more accurately access the extent of the blockage. For patients who exhibit 60% blockage, follow-up ultrasounds are recommended and covered by Medicare every 6 to 12 months. For blockages 70 percent or greater, I recommend patients undergo a carotid endarterectomy, unless there are medical contraindications.
Approximately 130,000 people have this procedure each year to help restore blood flow to the brain. Studies show that patients who have had a stroke or experienced the warning signs of one and have severe narrowing of the carotid artery, can reduce their two-year risk of stroke by more than 80 percent after undergoing this procedure.
A carotid endarterectomy involves making a small incision in the neck to expose the carotid artery and the plaque that is clogging the inside of the artery is completely removed. The artery is then patched with a Pericardial or Dacron patch to repair the artery. The procedure takes approximately two hours. Recovery involves an overnight stay in the hospital to watch for possible complications, such as bleeding, low blood pressure or stroke. Upon returning home, patients are advised to limit physical activity for several weeks. Although it can reduce the risk for stroke, it does not prevent plaque from building up again. To help prevent recurrence, lifestyle changes are recommended, including:
He is on staff at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center and maintains a private practice in Jupiter, Florida. Dr. Anderson specializes in cardiac, carotid, vascular and thoracic surgery, including carotid endarterectomy, abdominal aortic aneurysm stenting/repair, coronary artery bypass surgery, aortic valve replacement, mitral valve replacement, pacemakers, lung surgery, lower extremity vascular surgery, cyberknife (non-surgical lung cancer treatment) and dialysis access procedures. He recently returned from Haiti where he was part of a humanitarian medical relief effort following the devastating earthquake that hit on January 12th, 2010.
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