Strokes and Carotid Disease

One of the most feared consequences of aging is to sustain a stroke where one can be left paralyzed, unable to talk or to care for oneself.   While there are several causes of stroke one of the most common is cerebrovascular arteriosclerotic disease where the build up of arteriosclerosis reduces blood flow or pieces of atheroma fragment and embolize to the brain.  While the narrowing may occur in all regions of the cerebrovascular system, the most common location for treatable narrowing occurs in the portion of the carotid artery that passes through the neck.  The occurrence of strokes have been correlated with the extent of narrowing with specific criteria established.  As the narrowed area is often restricted to a short segment of the artery, surgical management of this narrowing can be focused in this area affording approach through a minimally invasive approach.  The smaller incision minimizes postoperative pain and postoperative recovery time.   The incidence of perioperative stroke is extremely low and the need for future reintervention is virtually non existent.  Medical treatment with antiplatelet, antilipid and hypertension management is an important adjunct to management.