Carotid Endarterectomy

Carotid endarterectomy is an operation to remove the thickened inner lining of the carotid artery.

The carotid arteries lie on each side of the neck and carry blood to the brain. With aging, the walls of the arteries may become thickened due to plaque build up. Carotid artery disease can cause stroke.

The treatment of carotid artery disease depends upon the severity of disease, i.e. degree of narrowing and irregularity, and presence of symptoms. For many patients, medication and risk factor modification are all that is needed. Well-controlled trials have established criteria to select those patients best treated with carotid endarterectomy.

Carotid endarterectomy is done through a small incision and is associated with only minimal incisional discomfort. Ninety five percent of our patients are discharged to home the day after operation.

For additional information, click on this link:
http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Carotid_Endarterectomy.html