Should I have carotid endarterectomy for stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)?
Carotid endarterectomy is surgery to remove plaque buildup that causes narrowing (stenosis) in the carotid artery. The surgery is done to reduce your risk for transient ischemic attack (TIA) and stroke. But your doctor may recommend surgery only if you have moderate to severe narrowing and a low risk of complications from the surgery. Consider the following when making your decision:1 • You are most likely to benefit from surgery if you have had symptoms (a prior TIA or mild stroke) in the past 6 months and you have 70% or greater narrowing in one of your carotid arteries. • If you have less than 50% narrowing, the risks outweigh the benefit of surgery. • Surgery may also be appropriate if you have had: • One or more TIAs in the past 6 months and you have 50% to 69% narrowing. • A series of small strokes in the past 6 months and you have 50% to 69% narrowing, and each small stroke has left you a little more disabled. • A mild or moderate stroke in the past 6 months and you have 50% to
