Carotid endarterectomy

Common card · No. 495982

Carotid endarterectomy is a surgical procedure used to reduce the risk of stroke from carotid artery stenosis (narrowing of the internal carotid artery). In an endarterectomy, the surgeon opens the artery and removes the plaque. The plaque forms and thickens the inner layer of the artery, or intima, hence the name of the procedure which simply means removal of part of the internal layers of the artery. An alternative procedure is carotid stenting, which can also reduce the risk of stroke for some patients.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Ed Uthman, MD., CC BY 2.0