Narrowing of the carotid artery is most commonly caused by gradual cholesterol buildup called atherosclerosis. Other potential causes include carotid artery dissection which is a tearing of the blood vessel wall. This is a potentially significant problem in that if severe enough it can result in stroke. The most common method of treating a narrowed carotid artery is to undergo a procedure called carotid endarterectomy in which the surgeon makes an incision into the artery at the site of narrowing and removes the cholesterol plaque. This effectively restores the vessel to normal size.

Carotid angioplasty and stenting is a relatively new method of treating narrowing of the carotid arteries. This involves placement of catheter in the groin and threading a tube called a catheter into the carotid artery. A small wire is placed across the area of narrowing under x-ray guidance. At this point a small angioplasty balloon may be expanded across the narrowing or a small metal tube called a stent can be deployed. At our institution, angioplasty and stenting are primarily used for those patients who are unable to undergo surgery.

This is what a stent looks like after it has been fully deployed.

See an example of Carotid Angioplasty and Stenting

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