Carotid Artery Disease
Carotid artery disease is the most common cause of stroke in the USA
and early detection with accurate assessment is the key to
prevention.
How does the cerebrovascular
system work? - Blood leaves the heart via the aorta and into the common carotid arteries (CCA) on each side of the neck. About half way up the neck, this artery branches into
the external carotid
(ECA) that supplies the face and scalp, and the
internal carotid artery (ICA) that supplies the brain and the eye. The split or bifurcation is a
common area for disease to occur. The vertebral arteries branch off the subclavian arteries, course along the spinal
cord and supply the back of the brain. These 4 vessels make up the primary blood supply to the brain and these
can be easily evaluated by noninvasive methods.
Atherosclerosis, commonly known as hardening of the arteries, is
responsible for the majority of problems in the carotid arteries. Normally the inner wall of an artery called
the intima is smooth and elastic, allowing blood to flow freely. In vessels affected by
atherosclerosis, the intima
becomes thickened and rough by a build up cholesterol or fatty materials.
This build up, much like rust in a pipe, is called plaque. As this plaque increases, it obstructs the opening
or lumen of the blood vessel and may alter or limit the flow of blood. If the artery
is severely narrowed, the amount of blood getting past can be so limited, that various symptoms can result.
However, as long as this is a gradual process, the body is often very good at developing alternative pathways
for blood flow called collaterals.
As the artery narrows, the same amount of blood wants to get through so it
has to speed up, much like a “kink” in a garden hose. This fast, turbulent blood flow can break down the surface
of the plaque and cause pieces of plaque called emboli to break loose.
These can travel to the brain or the eye often with dire consequences. Turbulent blood flow can produce a sound
called a bruit that can be heard with a stethoscope and is often the first sign of
disease.
Diagrams of increasing build-up of deposits within the artery
wall, gradually bulging the inner layer of the artery wall into the lumen or opening inside the vessel
resulting in a restriction of the blood flow. Small plaques that do not result in flow disturbances are
unlikely to cause symptoms. In contrast, narrowings that limit the blood flow cause increased blood
velocities and turbulent flow (like a kink in a garden hose.) This results in stresses on the inside layer of
the vessel. If this lining breaks down, particles called emboli are carried to the brain and can result in a
stroke.
Symptoms -
Lack of blood flow to the brain can cause a variety of symptoms. Stroke (cerebrovascular accident or CVA) occurs when there is permanent damage to the brain. If
blood flow is restored quickly, symptoms may resolve (Transient Ischemic Attack or
TIA). There are several “classical” warning signs that should
alert a person to seek immediate medical attention.
-
Numbness, weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
-
Sudden temporary loss of vision in one eye or sudden blurred or
double vision
-
Difficulty speaking, garbled speech, unable to use or undersstand
common words
-
Loss of balance, equilibrium or falling for no apparent
reason
Diagnosis -
Diagnosis is most often made with
ultrasound, a relatively inexpensive, completely safe and non-invasive technique that obtains pictures of the
vessels and information about the blood flow. Plaque characteristics such as surface irregularities
coupled with information about the blood flow allow an assessment of the risk a specific plaque presents to the
patient. We are also able to evaluate the intracranial vessels for stenosis, arteriovenous malformation or
vasospasm of the vessels within the skull. Traditionally, this information has only been obtainable by contrast
angiography. Symptomatic patients without other explanation may benefit from this noninvasive test.
Figure
1
Figure 2
Figure 1 An ultrasound of the carotid artery bifurcation showing widely patent arteries.
However note the mild degree of wall thickening in this exceptional image.
Figure 2 The internal carotid artery shown with gray scale and color Doppler. The red
demonstrates blood flow to the brain while the blue is flow in the jugular vein.
Figure
3
Figure 4
Figure 3 - The internal carotid artery showing a large plaque along the back wall of
the artery
Figure 4 - This image of a carotid bifurcation uses a different Doppler processing
the demonstrates the opening of the vessel extremely well. Note the "divot" which may represent an ulcer in the
plaque.
Figure
5 Figure
6
The above images show a color Doppler image of an internal carotid artery with a
severe stenosis. Figure 6 shows the spectral analysis which is a detailed analysis of the blood flow
showing a high velocity flow pattern due to the narrowing in the artery.
Figure
7
Figure 8
Figure 7 - Shows a common carotid artery with a dual streamline with faster flows
along the walls of the vessel somewhat in contrast to typical assumption that the fastest flow is down the
center of the vessel.
Figure 8 - Another common carotid artery showing irregular palque with associated
disturbance and flow eddies.
Treatments
-
Most patients with carotid artery disease do not have symptoms and are treated very
conservatively without any intervention. But what else can be done??
-
Modify risk factors - Smoking cessation,
control of hypertension & diabetes, regular exercise
-
Follow-up - Unfortunately, progression or
worsening of disease does sometime occur even with modification of the risk factors and it is impossible to
tell how quickly this may happen. Therefore, it is critically important that the severity of the plaque
buildup be followed every 6 or 12 months by ultrasound testing to determine if there is any progression of
disease.
-
Medicine - While medicine will not
generally lessen the plaque, there are several medications that may be prescribed to aid in controlling
risk factors or to reduce the risk of symptoms.
-
Surgery - Studies indicate that patients
with symptoms and / or with a severe narrowing (greater than 75%) may benefit from surgery to remove the
plaque buildup. Carotid endarterectomy has been done for many years and has been proven to reduce the
risk of stroke in some patients with carotid artery disease.
-
Angioplasty / Stenting - Called an endovascular
procedure, this new technique uses a catheter inserted through the groin to open the artery and deploy a
stent to hold it open. For the past several years, carotid artery stenting was only done in certain
situations as it carried a slightly higher risk of stroke than the surgical procedure. However with newer
devices such as those that employ an embolic protection device pictured below, the use and safety of this
approach has increased significantly. For more information about stenting, click All About Stents!
Diagram of a Guidant "Acculink" carotid stent with a
device to catch any pieces that could break loose during the procedure.
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