Can a closed carotid artery be reopened?
Carotid occlusion is a disease that presents a difficult decision for the treating provider. Traditionally, many providers would opt for expectant management with risk factor reduction and supportive therapy. There is a growing body of literature however pointing to possible improved outcomes of more aggressive treatments, including reopening of the occluded carotid. In this review, we discuss the difficulties involved in diagnosing a patient presenting with symptomatic carotid occlusion, the natural history of the disease, and the emerging treatment options and paradigms of different institutions based on recent literature.
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL, USA, Issawi@uic.edu.
Ahmad
A
Issawi
Jeffrey
J
Klopfenstein
D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D018450:Disease Progression; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014664:Vasodilation