There are two carotid arteries (right and left); these are the main arteries that carry blood from the neck to the brain. A blocked carotid artery may be due to fatty deposits (called plaque), or to a blood clot trapped in a carotid artery...
A stent is a tiny metal or fabric tube that is used to keep clogged arteries open or to shore up weakened arteries, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, or NHLBI. Stents are sometimes coated with drugs that help keep arteries...
Carotid artery stenosis is what occurs when you have carotid artery disease. Stenosis means a reduction in the size of the carotid arteries that deliver blood to your brain. This is caused by plaques or deposits of fat blocking the arteries. This...
Plavix (Clopidogrel) is an anti-platelet agent that is prescribed to patients with a history of vascular disease. Plavix has been extensively studied in many large clinical trials of patients with heart attacks. Patients with a history of heart...
As medicine has improved and new conditions have been discovered, there's been a great demand for doctors who specialize in these conditions. The field with perhaps the greatest demand is the field of cardiology. Gone are the days of being...
Carotid atherosclerosis is the build up of plaque in the arteries of the neck that supply the brain. It has been in the news a lot lately. In many recent studies of cholesterol lowering drugs the amount of plaque in the carotid artery has been...
The buildup of plaque in your neck arteries is also called carotid artery stenosis. According to the Mayo Clinic, the carotid arteries are two blood vessels that run along either side of your neck to supply blood to your head and brain. The...
Your carotid arteries are the primary lines of blood supply to your brain. When enough plaque builds up in them to block some of the blood flow, you have carotid artery disease. It is very dangerous, because if left untreated, it can lead to...
A stent is a cylindrical medical device typically made of metal or plastic. Stents have a variety of vascular and nonvascular applications and are used medically to help open tubular body structures that are narrowed or blocked. Since their...
A stent is a mesh tube used to open a blocked artery. When fatty deposits build up along the arterial walls, the blood vessel begins to narrow. Over time, the narrowing can eventually restrict blood flow, sometimes to the point of a complete...
Stroke, also called a brain attack, occurs as a result of restricted blood flow to the brain. Often caused by the formation of blood clots, ruptured blood vessels or the buildup of plaque---a sticky substance made of cholesterol, fat, calcium and...
The carotid arteries are parallel blood vessels in both sides of the neck that supply blood to the head and brain. The internal carotid arteries run along the neck to the brain, while the external carotid arteries carry blood to the face. Diseases...
The carotid artery runs along the neck and carries oxygenated blood to the brain and head. Carotid artery disease causes blockages due to aneurysms, a blood clot or thrombus, or due to emboli or clots that break off from other areas of the body...
The carotid arteries in the neck are the primary passageways for blood flow to the brain. Blockages and narrowing of the carotid artery are major risk factors for a stroke. Carotid artery stenosis, or narrowing, is caused by atherosclerosis, the...
Carotid arteries are blood vessels that deliver blood from the large vessels exiting the heart to the head and brain. Carotid arteries become blocked when plaques made of fatty deposits line the vessel walls and block the arteries, according to...
A doctor who specializes in issues of the heart is called a cardiologist. According to the American College of Cardiology, cardiologists are trained to find, treat and help prevent diseases that attack the blood vessels and the heart. Under the...
A stent is a small mesh tube that is placed in a blocked or narrowed artery to prevent it from closing. As an artery narrows, the point of constriction affects the transport of blood, increasing the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke....
Arterial stent procedures are performed using angioplasty. This is a minimally invasive procedure used to improve blood flow in the arteries and veins. During the procedure, imaging techniques are used to guide a catheter into the blocked artery...
When diagnosed with carotid artery blockage, patients should explore treatment options without delay. According to the Texas Heart Institute, 900,000 people in the United States die each year from strokes and heart attacks, two results of blocked...
The carotid artery is a major blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain. A blocked or narrowed carotid artert leads to less blood to the brain and increased risk for a stroke. In order to repair a blocked carotid artery, a procedure called...
The carotid arteries supply highly oxygenated blood to the brain. The carotid arteries are made up of the internal and external carotid arteries, which are found on both sides of the head. In some cases tears develop in the walls of these...
Carotid artery stenosis is the narrowing of the carotid arteries which provide much of the oxygen-rich blood supply to the brain. Atherosclerosis, or a buildup of fatty deposits called plaques within the arteries, is the leading cause of carotid...
