Carotid Artery Disease

Carotid Angioplasty and Stenting

For some patients, direct surgical repair via a carotid endarterectomy is not a good option because of the location of the stenosis (narrowing), or the patient's overall health may make surgery too risky.

Carotid angioplasty and stenting, a relatively new procedure, shows promise in the treatment of carotid artery disease for patients who may not be healthy enough to undergo surgery. Patients with severe heart or lung disease, those who have had neck operations or radiation for neck tumors, and those who have already had carotid endarterectomies may not be candidates for surgery.

Patients are awake during the procedure, and are usually discharged from the hospital the following day. Most patients are able to resume normal activities when they get home.

Advantages

• Local instead of general anesthesia
• Fewer surgical complications such as nerve injury, hematoma (bruising) and wound infection
• Shorter operation
• Less discomfort
• Smaller incision
• Shorter recovery time
• Ability to treat narrowed arteries that are hard to reach or difficult to treat with surgery

Because carotid angioplasty is a relatively new procedure, its durability and long-term ability to deter stroke are still under study. Your physician will talk with you about the risks of this procedure.

Mayo Publications

See a list of publications by Mayo Clinic doctors on carotid angioplasty and stenting on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.