You had carotid artery surgery to restore proper blood flow to your brain. Your surgeon made an incision in your neck over your carotid artery. A tube was put in place for blood to flow around the blocked area during your surgery. Your surgeon opened your carotid artery and carefully removed plaque from inside it. The surgeon may have placed a stent (a wire mesh tube) in this area to help keep the artery open. Your artery was closed up with stitches after the plaque was removed.
During your surgery, your heart and brain activity were monitored closely.
You should be able to do most of your normal activities within 3 - 4 weeks. You may have a slight neck ache for about 2 weeks.
You may start doing everyday activities as soon as you are able. You may need help with meals, taking care of the house, and shopping at first.
Do not drive until your incision (cut) is healed, and you can turn your head without discomfort.
You may have some numbness along your jaw and near your earlobe. This is from your incision (cut). Most of the time, this goes away in 6 - 12 months.
Do not wear turtlenecks or other clothes around your neck that rub against your cut.
Having carotid artery surgery does not cure the cause of the blockage in your arteries. Your arteries may become narrow again. To prevent this:
See also:
Call your doctor or nurse if:
Carotid endarterectomy - discharge; CEA - discharge; Angioplasty - carotid artery - discharge; Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty - carotid artery - discharge; PTA - carotid artery - discharge
2011 ASA/ACCF/AHA/AANN/AANS/ACR/ASNR/CNS/SAIP/SCAI/SIR/SNIS/SVM/SVS Guideline on the Management of Patients With Extracranial Carotid and Vertebral Artery Disease. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. published online Jan 31, 2011.
Goldstein LB. Prevention and management of stroke. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, eds. Libby: Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. Saunders;2007:chap 58.
Mas JL, Chatellier G, Beyssen B, Branchereau A, Moulin T, Becquemin JP, et al. Endarterectomy versus stenting in patients with symptomatic severe carotidstenosis. N Engl J Med. 2006 Oct 19;355(16):1660-71.
Eckstein HH, Ringleb P, Allenberg JR, et al. Results of the Stent-Protected Angioplasty versus Carotid Endarterectomy (SPACE) study to treat symptomatic stenoses at 2 years: a multinational, prospective, randomised trial. Lancet Neurol. 2008 Oct;7(10):893-902. Epub 2008 Sep 5.
Updated by: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Michael A. Chen, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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