Carotid stenosis refers to a dangerous narrowing of the inner
portion of the internal carotid arteries, the two large arteries
in the neck which provide the largest portion of the blood
supply to the brain. The most common cause of carotid stenosis
is atherosclerosis. Narrowing of the carotid artery is diagnosed
with carotid duplex ultrasound. A study performed in 1998, the
NASCET (North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial)
study, determined that patients who had symptoms such as a TIA
or ministroke and more than 70% narrowing of the internal
carotid artery, had a three-fold reduction in the risk of stroke
if they were surgically treated with a procedure known as
carotid endarterectomy. People with borderline stenosis (50-69%
occlusion of the carotid arteries) must be followed closely by a
doctor in order to evaluate whether surgery needs to be
performed in the future. The two most common treatment options
for carotid stenosis are the following: Carotid
EndarterectomyThis is a procedure by which