Carotid endarterectomy is the surgical procedure aimed at releasing occluded or partially restricted carotid arteries.
This dangerous pathological condition - also known as obstructive disease of the carotid arteries or stenosis of the carotid arteries - is established due to atherosclerosis and can be the cause of episodes of stroke or TIA ( transient ischemic attack ).
Carotid endarterectomy generally lasts a couple of hours; in this time, a team of doctors and nurses provides:
- Anesthetize the patient . Anesthesia is usually general, but can also be local. If it is general, the patient is completely unconscious; if, instead, it is local, it remains conscious throughout the procedure. Anesthetist is responsible for providing anesthesia.
- Make an incision in the neck, near the occluded carotid artery. From this moment on, the fate of the intervention passes into the hands of the operating vascular surgeon and his assistants (among whom there are other surgeons and nurses).
- Isolate the occluded carotid artery so that you can intervene without the disturbance of the blood circulating inside. Insulation can take place via a clamp or by creating a passage for alternative blood ( shunt ). Generally, the clamp is used when the other carotid artery is completely patent and able, even on its own, to provide blood circulation to the brain.
- Incise the carotid artery near where the atheroma is located (ie the deposit of fat and other substances created by atherosclerosis) and extract the latter together with the innermost layer of the vessel wall.
- Reseal the incision on the carotid artery with sutures or a special tissue patch ( patch ). Once the integrity of the artery is restored, the clamp is removed (if used) and the opening on the neck is sutured.
