Carotid arteries:When do you operate and consisting surgery?

The carotid arteries are branches of the thoracic aorta and stay in the side of the neck, being responsible for supplying blood to the face and brain. The internal carotid, specifically, is in charge of watering the corresponding cerebral hemisphere, either right or left.

When a stenosis (ie, a narrowing ) in the aorta, usually located in the fork, which is approximately in the middle neck, symptoms that may affect the eye on the same side, the language occur occurs or motility and sensitivity of the opposite side of the body to the injured carotid artery, and the right brain"send"on the left side of the body and the left hemisphere controls the motility and sensitivity of the right hemisphere.

To prevent a brain injury that could end up in a hemiplegia ( paralysis of one half of the body) or death, these patients can intervene them the carotid lesion and thus avoid new hemispheric symptoms.

Surgery of the carotid artery

The surgery is performed under general anesthesia and involves cleaning the carotid lesion using high precision instruments. Then proceed to close the artery through a small patch of a synthetic fabric ( Dacron or PTFE).

The procedure usually lasts about two hours and the patient can be discharged in a few days after the intervention (3-4 days).

Risks of surgery

It may cause injury to the neck nerves that innervate the tongue and throat and also a more or less important in 1-3 % of cases, brain damage can occur.

Still, the symptoms and the risk of stroke or death was reduced by 95 %.