Carotid Artery Disease
Carotid artery disease occurs when the major arteries in the neck become narrowed or blocked. These arteries, called the carotid arteries, supply the brain with blood. Carotid artery disease may not cause symptoms in the early stages. Unfortunately, the first sign of carotid artery disease could be a stroke. However, one may experience warning symptoms of a stroke called transient ischaemic attacks, or TIAs. Symptoms of a TIA (mini stroke) usually last for a few minutes to a few hours and include:
- Feeling weakness, numbness on one side of the body
- Being unable to control the movement of an arm or a leg
- Loosing vision in one eye
- Being unable to speak clearly
Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) causes most cases of carotid artery disease.
Carotid duplex ultrasound, CT and CT angiography or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) are the most often used tests to establish the diagnosis.
Treatment of carotid artery disease includes:
- Medication and lifestyle changes
- Surgery (carotid endarterectomy)
- Angioplasty and stenting