What is carotid arteries?

Carotid artery, also known as carotid artery stenosis, occurs when carotid arteries have narrowed or blocked. This is usually caused by atherosclerosis or the accumulation of plaque in the blood vessel. Plaque is a substance, usually hard on the outside and soft from the inside, which consists of oily materials, cholesterol, calcium and cell waste products. A carotid artery disease can cause stroke. Carotid arteries are paired blood vessels that take oxygenated blood from the heart to the front brain tissue. The right common branches of carotid arteries from the brachiocephalic strain in the throat are extended on the right side of the neck and the left common carotid artery comes from the aortic arch in the chest or chest and stretches the left side of the neck. When a pulse is removed from the neck, it usually measures pulse in carotid arteries.

Several factors can give the peaks endangered by developing carotid arteries. High blood pressure, age, obesity, diabetes, smoking, high content of "bad" cholesterol or low content "Good "cholesterol, with high saturated fat, lack of exercise and family history of carotid arteries can increase the risk of the patient. The most serious complication of the disease is stroke or loss of brain function due to impaired blood flow to the brain.

normally, carotid arteries are elastic and allow the blood to pass freely, but as the disease of the carotid arteries builds and builds plaque along the walls of the artery, the vessel solidifies and narrows. This in itself can cause a stroke if atherosclerosis becomes so advanced that the blood vessels are extremely narrowed and the brain can no longer have enough blood to function. Many can also be caused by a bursting of plaque deposit. Well -known substances of blood clotting similar to the discs of the plates rush to the place of rupture in an effort to repair the vessel. The plates are clustered together and can cause the block sufficient to cause a stroke. Also, if plaque rupture and a piece of plaque is drivingWidth and become stored in a smaller artery of the brain, there may be a stroke.

artery carotid disease often unnoticed until the stroke event, because it often does not represent any symptoms. However, if the patient is about to have a stroke, he may experience blurring vision, weakness or insensitivity in the arm, face or leg on one side of the body, difficulty in understanding and speaking, dizziness, inability to walk straight and swallowing problems. These symptoms mean that the patient has a mini-grave or a transient ischemic attack (TIA). TIA is a medical emergency and the patient should have immediate medical attention to prevent death or permanent brain damage.

Since carotid artery disease does not present any symptoms until the stroke event, it is important to have routine physics and tell doctors of all risk factors that the patient may have. Doctors can listen to abnormal sounds in carotid arteries with stethoscope and perform imaging procedures to explore whether the arteries can be blocked.Carotid arteries are often treated with lifestyle changes such as healthy diet, exercise and ending smoking and alcohol consumption. Blood thinning drugs are also prescribed to all patients with carotid arteries to prevent blood clotting.

Carotid endarterectomy is a standard surgery for repairing carotid arteries. The surgeon will cut at the obstacle site, remove the plaque and the damaged part of the artery and sewed the container back together. Surgeons can also try to use a balloon to expand the artery and implant a stent for an open container. This method is still in research.