Intro:
Carotid artery disease (CAD) Involves plaque build-up or hardening of the arteries in the blood vessels leading to directly to the brain.
Symptoms:
CAD can often go unrecognized for years and in some cases causes TIAs (aka mini strokes) or major strokes. Symptoms can include:
- Weakness to one side of the body
- Episodes of slurred speech
- Blurry vision
- Word finding difficulties
- Facial drooping
Risk Factors:
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Age
- Family history
Diagnosis:
CAD is suspected based on clinical history and diagnosed with a non-invasive ultrasound or a CT scan.
- CT scan
- MRI scan
- Angiogram/venogram
- Nerve conduction test
- Anesthetic block
Treatment:
Treatment of CAD is often multifactorial and includes:
- Risk Factor Modification:
- Smoking cessation
- Controlling high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes
- Medications (ie. Aspirin, Plavix, blood thinners)
- Surgery to remove the plaque buildup (Carotid endarterectomy)
- Minimally invasive stenting
