Will angioplasty and a stent fix my carotid artery?

If you had surgery or placement of a stent to correct a blocked carotid artery, that is only one step toward conquering carotid artery disease. It is critically important that once you leave the hospital you begin to lead as healthy a lifestyle as possible.

The carotid arteries are blood vessels in your neck that deliver blood to your brain. If the carotid arteries become narrowed with a build-up of a fatty substance called plaque, you can have a stroke. Physicians called interventional cardiologists can reopen a blocked carotid artery by inserting a catheter - a thin tube - into the artery and opening and closing a tiny balloon at the end of the catheter. The balloon pushes aside the blockage and restores blood flow through the artery. If surgery is more appropriate, a surgeon will perform a carotid endarterectomy, a procedure during which an incision is made in the carotid artery to remove the plaque.

But that is not the end of the story. Plaque build-up is a gradual process, and one that can occur anywhere in your arteries. If you had a blockage in your carotid arteries, blockages could form elsewhere. Could the blockage come back in the exact same area as before? Yes, the blockage could come back, regardless of whether you had surgery or a stent placement, but the odds of that are low. The major issue is to stop the progress of disease throughout the arteries. This can be achieved through lifestyle changes and adhering to the medication plan that your physician has prescribed for you. If you smoke, stop smoking; if you are overweight, try to lose weight; and always take prescribed medicines as instructed.

Carotid artery disease is a potential risk for ischemic stroke. Angioplasty and stenting of the carotid artery can decrease the risk of stroke. 

The management options to decrease the chance of stroke in someone with carotid artery disease, includes:

1. Medical management with antiplatelet agents (ie. aspirin) and lipid lowering medications (statins)
2. Balloon angioplasty and stenting
3. Carotid endarterectomy (surgery)  

The optimal treatment depends on the age of the patient, accompanying symptoms, comorbidities (medical history), and findings on imaging tests (carotid ultrasound, CTA, MRI/A, femoral cerebral angiogram).

Regardless of the treatment to fix the carotid artery, ischemic stroke preventive measures include treatment for hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol, smoking cessation, and physical activity.