Carotid artery surgery is a procedure to treat carotid artery disease.The carotid artery brings needed blood to your brain and face. You have one of these arteries on each side of your neck. Blood flow in this artery can become partly or totally blocked by fatty material called plaque. This can reduce the blood supply to your brain and cause a stroke.

Carotid artery surgery is done to restore proper blood flow to the brain. There are two procedures to treat a carotid artery that has plaque buildup in it. This article focuses on a surgery called endarterectomy. The other method is called angioplasty with stent placement.Carotid endarterectomy is a procedure to treat carotid artery disease. This disease occurs when fatty, waxy deposits build up in one of the carotid arteries. The carotid arteries are blood vessels located on each side of your neck (carotid arteries). This buildup of plaque (atherosclerosis) may restrict blood flow to your brain. Removing plaque causing the narrowing in the artery can improve blood flow in your carotid artery and reduce your risk of stroke. In carotid endarterectomy, you receive a local or general anaesthetic. Your surgeon makes an incision along the front of your neck, opens your carotid artery and removes the plaques that are clogging your artery. Then, your surgeon repairs the artery with stitches or a patch made with a vein or artificial material (patch graft).Sometimes surgeons may use another technique called eversion carotid endarterectomy. This involves cutting the carotid artery and turning it inside out, then removing the plaque. Your surgeon then reattaches the artery. Carotid endarterectomy if you have a severe narrowing in your carotid artery. There are several other factors that will be considered other than the degree of blockage in the artery. You may or may not be experiencing symptoms. Your doctor will evaluate your condition and determine whether you're a candidate for carotid endarterectomy. If carotid endarterectomy isn't the best option for you, you might have a procedure called carotid angioplasty and stenting instead of carotid endarterectomy. In this procedure, doctors thread a long hollow tube (catheter) with a small balloon attached through a blood vessel in your neck to the narrowed artery. The balloon is then inflated to widen the artery. A metal mesh tube (stent) is often inserted to decrease the chance of the artery narrowing again.

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General Surgery: open Access

Richard Potvin