Stroke treatment with carotid endarterectomy

Carotid endarterectomy is a surgical operation to remove plaques in the carotid artery. The rupture of the vascular plaque may lead to blood clot formation in the vessel. Part of the formed clot can come off and move through the lumen to the brain, which blocks blood circulation, leading to death in brain tissue - ischemic stroke. The operation is performed under general anesthesia and lasts about 1-2 hours:The surgeon makes an incision of the neck's skin, exposing and fixing the carotid artery. The vessels are squeezed with special "gentle" clamps. The carotid artery wall is opened, and its inner surface is cleaned of atherosclerotic plaque. Then a "patch" is applied to the place of the incision – a flap covering the hole and restoring the vessel integrity. Finally, the surgical wound is sewn up, and a bandage is applied.  For about 4 hours, the patient stays in intensive care, where he slowly wakes up from anesthesia. Then he is transferred to the vascular surgery department. A few days after the operation, the patient is discharged home. Atherosclerotic plaques in the carotid arteries cause about half of all strokes. The treatment helps to remove the primary cause of ischemic stroke and restore blood supply.