Carotid Artery Disease

Summary

Your carotid arteries are two large blood vessels in your neck. They supply your brain and head with blood. If you have carotid artery disease, the arteries become narrow or blocked, usually because of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaque, which is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood.

Carotid artery disease is serious because it can block the blood flow to your brain, causing a stroke. Too much plaque in the artery can cause a blockage. You can also have a blockage when a piece of plaque or a blood clot breaks off the wall of an artery. The plaque or clot can travel through the bloodstream and get stuck in one of your brain’s smaller arteries.

Carotid artery disease often does not cause symptoms until the blockage or narrowing is severe. One sign may be a bruit (whooshing sound) that your doctor hears when listening to your artery with a stethoscope. Another sign is a transient ischemic attack (TIA), a “mini-stroke.” A TIA is like a stroke, but it only lasts a few minutes, and the symptoms usually go away within an hour. Stroke is another sign.

Imaging tests can confirm whether you have carotid artery disease.

Treatments may include:

• Healthy lifestyle changes
• Medicines
• Carotid endarterectomy, surgery to remove the plaque
• Angioplasty, a procedure to place a balloon and stent into the artery to open it and hold it open

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Find an Expert

• American Stroke Association American Stroke Association
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Patient Handouts

• Angioplasty and stent placement – carotid artery Medical Encyclopedia
• Carotid artery disease Medical Encyclopedia
• Carotid artery stenosis – self-care Medical Encyclopedia
• Carotid artery surgery – discharge Medical Encyclopedia
• Carotid artery surgery – open Medical Encyclopedia
• Carotid duplex Medical Encyclopedia

Encyclopedia

• Angioplasty and stent placement – carotid artery – discharge Medical Encyclopedia

Treatments and Therapies

• Carotid Angioplasty and Stenting Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Carotid Endarterectomy Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Start Here

• Carotid Artery Disease Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Carotid Artery Disease Texas Heart Institute

Diagnosis and Tests

• Carotid Artery Screening Radiological Society of North America
• Carotid Ultrasound Imaging Radiological Society of North America
• Doppler Ultrasound National Library of Medicine
• MR Angiography (MRA) Radiological Society of North America
• Screening for Carotid Artery Stenosis U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

Images

• Carotid artery surgery – series — Normal anatomy Medical Encyclopedia

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Carotid Artery Diseases National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Carotid Stenosis National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Endarterectomy, Carotid National Institutes of Health

Journal Articles

• Carotid Artery Disease

Specifics

• What Is Atherosclerosis? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute