QUESTION: What is the name of the artery operation to prevent stroke? Is it safe? There is someone in our family who may be in need of such an operation.
ANSWER: Although I'm not sure from your letter just what information you are seeking, I suspect you mean a surgical procedure called "carotid endarterectomy".
I'll proceed on that assumption and answer your questions, because I believe many other readers may also be interested.
When performed under optimum conditions, carotid endarterectomy can prevent stroke.
Those conditions include operating on patients that exhibit the traditional symptoms of ischemia (when there is a lack of oxygen being delivered to the brain because of obstructed or blocked blood vessels) or impending stroke: partial paralysis or numbness in the limbs on one side of the body, speech loss, and partial vision loss.
For these patients, carotid endarterectomy is considered a safe and straightforward procedure.
The operation attempts to clean out the passage of the obstructed vessels, allowing the blood to flow freely towards the brain. But for patients who exhibit widespread symptoms, such as overall paralysis or total vision loss, or for those who exhibit no symptoms at all, the procedure can be dangerous.
At best, under these conditions, there is no guarantee that the procedure will prevent stroke.
At worst, the operation itself could prompt stroke.
In these cases, the physician relies upon the patient's past history of stroke and evaluates the possibility of a future stroke against the potential danger involved in performing the endarterectomy.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
