A name that sounds scary and one which would make no sense to you if heard for the first time! Don’t let the big words make you diffident and prevent you from investigating on the topic. Because, it is an important and much talked about surgical procedure in practice today!
What is it used for? In simple, a Carotid Endarterectomy or a CEA is performed as a preventive measure for stroke. What exactly is done in this surgery? Again, in simple terms, it is done to remove material, such as plaques and deposits inside an artery, more specifically, the carotid artery.
Causes
So what causes these plaques or deposits to form in your arteries? The medical term used for such a condition is Atherosclerosis. How do you get Atherosclerosis? Usually, the occurrence of high levels of cholesterol in your blood over a long period of time will cause your body to deposit this excess cholesterol in the form of plaques or deposits in your arteries. The carotid artery, especially at the fork where it divides into the internal and external carotid artery, is a major victim of this disease condition, and is a leading cause for stroke in many patients.
These Atherosclerotic plaques will cause the narrowing of the artery and cause difficulties in blood circulation. Often, these plaques can break off and reach the brain via the internal carotid artery, which can cause brain death, leading to very fatal conditions. This is on main reason why it is important to be aware of this disease condition.
Symptoms
In many cases, the plaques will give rise to symptoms such as temporary stroke or in medical terms, transient ischemic attacks. In such instances, the performance of a carotid endarterectomy is an urgent requirement.
When plaques don’t bring out symptoms, patients are still at potential risk of having a stroke than those without plaques. Although many doctors prefer drug treatment alone for such patients, there is much debate today to as whether they too require surgery, i.e. the performance of a carotid endarterectomy.
The Surgery Procedure
In general, when a surgeon performs an endarterectomy, the arteries are clamped, opened and the plaques or deposits that have formed within are removed. Then the artery is closed, ensuring homeostasis is in place and the underlying tissue restored to normal. Often, a temporary shunt is placed to confirm the continuous blood supply to the brain during the surgery.
More recent techniques involve non-invasive methods where the inclusion of a catheter up the carotid artery is performed, a balloon is used to expand the artery and a stent inserted to hold the artery open. But this technique is still undergoing clinical trials and its success rate is yet to be determined over time.
Prevention
The best practice would be prevention over cure! So what should you do to ensure that you will not require the performing of a carotid endarterectomy on yourself? By making sure your cholesterol levels are in optimum conditions, you can avoid atherosclerosis or the deposition of plaques in your arteries and prevent from undergoing such tedious surgical procedures. A healthy diet, enough exercise, good habits and period checkups would minimize your chances of such risk!
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