Your carotid arteries are two large blood vessels in your neck. They supply your brain with blood. If you have carotid artery disease, the arteries become narrow, usually from the buildup of cholesterol and other material. If a blood clot sticks in the narrowed arteries, blood can't reach your brain. This is one of the causes of stroke.
Carotid artery disease often does not cause symptoms, but there are tests that can tell your doctor if you have it. If the arteries are very narrow, you may need an operation called an endarterectomy to remove the plaque. For less severe narrowing, a medicine to prevent blood clots can reduce your risk of stroke. Another option for people who can't have surgery is carotid angioplasty. This involves placing balloons and/or stents into the artery to open it and hold it open.
- Carotid Artery Disease(American Heart Association) - http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/114/7/e244
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Carotid Artery Disease
(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/catd/catd_whatis.html
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Questions and Answers about Carotid Endarterectomy(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/carotid_endarterectomy_backgrounder.htm
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Carotid Artery Disease(Texas Heart Institute) - http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Topics/Cond/CarotidArteryDisease.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Topics_Esp/Cond/carot_sp.cfm
- Carotid Artery Disease, Stroke, Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs)(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Carotid_Artery_Disease.html
- Surgery Unneeded in Most Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis Cases(09/25/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69724.html
- 3-D MRI Helps Detect Patients at High Risk for Stroke(09/16/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69355.html
- 2 Techniques Found Effective in Carotid Artery Narrowing(09/06/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68990.html
- More News on Carotid Artery Disease http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_c.html#carotidarterydisease
- Carotid Bruit(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4480
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Carotid Ultrasound(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cu/cu_whatis.html
- Duplex Ultrasound(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Duplex_Ultrasound.html
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MR Angiography (MRA)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=angiomr
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=angiomr&bhcp=1
- Carotid Angioplasty and Stenting(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.org/carotid-artery-disease/carotid-angioplasty-and-stenting.html
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Carotid Endarterectomy
(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/carotidendarterectomy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/carotidendarterectomyspanish/htm/index.htm - Carotid Endarterectomy(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Carotid_Endarterectomy.html
- Carotid Stenting(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Carotid_Stenting.html
- Screening for Blockages in the Blood Vessels to the Brain(U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, American College of Physicians) - http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/147/12/I-36
- Carotid Artery Disease (CAD)(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/3_Most_Common_AVA/Carotid_Artery_Disease_AVA.html
- The Carotid Artery and the Eye(American Academy of Ophthalmology) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZP0PGMPGE&sub_cat=0
- What Is a Dissected Carotid Artery?(InteliHealth) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/4464/8481/602686.html
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See My Heart Cardiovascular Media Library
(American Society of Echocardiography) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.medmovie.com/mmdatabase/MediaPlayer.aspx?ClientID=46&TopicID=701,'_blank','toolbar=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,width=640,height=480','true'
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Carotid Endarterectomy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/carotidendarterectomy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/carotidendarterectomyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Carotid Artery Stenting(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 09/28/2006 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=339
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Innovations in Stroke Prevention: An Update on Carotid Stenting(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 7/15/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/nep_2103/rnh.cfm?id=748
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Carotid Artery Diseases(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Carotid+Artery+Diseases%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Carotid Stenosis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Carotid+Stenosis%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Endarterectomy, Carotid(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Endarterectomy,+Carotid%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: In vivo 3D high-spatial-resolution MR imaging of intraplaque hemorrhage. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18796681&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Clogged carotid arteries benefit from statins, stents and/or surgery. Patients... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18763360&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Results using a self-expanding stent alone in the treatment of... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18759576&tool=MedlinePlus
- Carotid Artery Disease -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=carotid+artery+diseases[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Find a Vascular Specialist(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/Member_Search/Physician_Search.html
- Find an Accredited Echocardiography Laboratory or Vascular Laboratory(American Society of Echocardiography) - http://www.asecho.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3333
- American Stroke Association - http://www.strokeassociation.org/
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National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/
- Stroke - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stroke.html
- Blood, Heart and Circulation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodheartandcirculation.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Carotid Artery Disease is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/