Twin Cities Heart and Lung: Carotid Surgery

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Heart Procedures

Lung Procedures

Vascular Procedures

Glossary of Medical Terms

The surgeons at Twin Cities Heart and Lung believe in patient education. We've designed our site to help you learn about procedures so you can understand them and proceed with your treatment with the knowledge to put your fears to rest.

Carotid Surgery

List of Vascular Procedures:

Aortic Aneurysm Surgery

Carotid Surgery

Endoluminal Grafts for Aortic Aneurysms

Leg Bypass Surgery

Stent Placement

Varicose Vein Surgery

Description of Carotid Surgery

The common carotid is the major artery on each side of your neck; it supplies blood to your brain and your face. The internal branch brings oxygen-rich blood to the brain, and the external branch brings blood to the face.

If your internal carotid artery becomes blocked, this reduces blood supply to the brain, causing a stroke. When the internal carotid arteries become blocked by fat and cholesterol build-up as a result of atherosclerosis, the patient may experience symptoms such as blurred vision, slurred speech, or weakness (all signs of stroke). By removing the fat and cholesterol build-up inside the artery, adequate blood flow is restored and strokes can be prevented.

Over time, the plaque slowly begins to block the flow of blood. The plaque itself may block the artery enough to cause a stroke, or in other cases, the plaque causes the blood to flow abnormally, which leads to a blood clot. Clots sometimes stay at the site of narrowing and prevent blood flow to all of the smaller arteries it supplies; this type of clot is called a thrombus. With other patients, the clot travels and wedges into a smaller vessel; this type is called an embolism.

Description of Surgery

Symptoms from a thrombus or embolism are similar to those of plaque build-up: blurred vision, slurred speech, or weakness. All of these are serious, and you should seek medical attention immediately if you have any of these.

Removing plaque, a thrombus, or embolism may be accomplished either by a surgery called endarterectomy, or a procedure known as angioplasty with stent placement; at Twin Cities Heart, we evaluate each patient to see which method will be the most effective for you. Traditionally used for the heart, stents are now being used on blood vessels to the brain as well. Stent placement is an alternative to surgery that enlarges the blockage in the artery.

For the actual surgery, typically we use general anesthetics, so that you will be unconscious and pain free. Your surgeon will make a small incision in the neck over the blocked carotid artery, and then open the carotid artery and remove the fat and cholesterol build-up, and the blood clot if present. Finally, the surgeon stitches the artery closed.

Before and After Carotid Surgery