Learn how the TCAR procedure at USA Vascular can help reduce your risk of stroke, especially during surgery.
Most people know strokes can happen suddenly and cause disability or death. But do you know how strokes are caused? And did you know some people are at risk for suffering stroke during stroke-prevention surgery?
While there are several causes for stroke, it is estimated that up to a third of cases are caused by carotid artery disease – the buildup of plaque in one or both of the arteries in the neck that supply blood from your heart to your brain. When plaque builds up in the carotid arteries, they begin to narrow and blood flow slows down, potentially causing a stroke if blood flow stops or plaque fragments dislodge and travel up to the brain.
“There’s no question that certain medications can lower your risk of stroke. Most individuals with artery disease should be on a daily aspirin regimen and cholesterol lowering medications. Statins are a class of drug that can drastically reduce person’s risk of heart attack, stroke and even death,” says Charles Joels, MD, FACS, RPVI, board certified vascular surgeon with USA Vascular. “In terms of definitive treatment, most people who have an 80 to 90 percent narrowing in their carotid artery – even those who haven’t had symptoms of stroke – would benefit from surgery to clean out the artery and restore blood flow.
Treatment options for carotid artery disease depend upon the severity of the overall patient condition and symptoms. The typical standard procedure for treating a blocked carotid artery is a carotid endarterectomy (CEA). This open surgical procedure removes plaque from inside the carotid artery in order to restore normal blood flow to the brain. The surgeon makes an incision on the neck to access the affected artery, opens the artery and removes the plaque. The surgeon closes the artery and the incision in the neck using stitches.