How does narrowing of my neck arteries cause a stroke?
There are four principal arteries, two on each side, that supply blood to the brain. The left and right carotid arteries which lie on either side of the neck carry more than 80% of the flow. When atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, develops in one of these vessels, small pieces of this plaque can break loose, go to the brain where they obstruct circulation to a small region of the brain and cause a temporary, or permanent, loss of function known as a stroke. Studies have shown that the risk of stroke appears to be directly related to the severity of the narrowing. When more than 70% of one carotid artery is narrowed by atherosclerosis, the likelihood that the patient will have a stroke within the next several years on that side is greater than the danger of an operation to remove the blockage. In such patients, it may be necessary to consider a procedure to prevent stroke, even if the patient is having NO symptoms! Since it is difficult to restore function once a stroke has
