the carotid arteries are a pair of arteries that serve as the main pipelines bringing oxygen-rich blood to the brain. the carotid arteries travel through the neck next to the windpipe. stenosis means an abnormal narrowing of a body part -- in this case an artery. distal means the far end of a body part. (the closer end is referred to as proximal. ) so this condition could more plainly be described as moderate narrowing of the far end of the right main artery in the neck. carotid artery stenosis often is caused by atherosclerosis a slow process of hardening and narrowing of the arteries throughout life. cholesterol-rich plaques develop in the walls of arteries in the neck heart and elsewhere and slowly grow. if cholesterol plaques grow and protrude into the center of the artery they can interfere with blood flow. this usually occurs very gradually and the body adapts so there are often no symptoms. the biggest risk is from the sudden rupture of a cholesterol plaque. this can result in rapid formation of a blood clot causing a heart attack or stroke. moderate carotid artery stenosis means the artery is narrowed but blood flow is not severely reduced. treatment depends on whether symptoms are present. for people who have had a stroke or mini-stroke (transient ischemic attack or tia) surgery to open the blockage (endarterectomy) is often recommended. however even without symptoms carotid artery stenosis is a yellow caution flag signaling you’re at risk for heart attack and stroke. a healthy diet regular exercise not smoking and taking the right medications can reduce your risk significantly. can diet change carotid artery disease if so what diet changes are recommended
what is moderate right distal carotid artery stenosis?