What is carotid stenting?

To remedy this dangerous health condition, you may need to undergo carotid stenting. A thin, flexible tube, or catheter, is placed into an artery in your groin and then advanced carefully to reach the carotid artery, with real-time X-ray imaging as guidance. The catheter is equipped with a tiny balloon at the end. Once the blockage is reached, the balloon is inflated to open the narrowed area of the artery. After the area has been expanded, a stent—a small medical device made of mesh—is placed in the artery to keep it stable and open and allow for healthy blood flow to the brain.

Carotid artery stenosis treatment: Carotid stenting

If you suffer from the symptoms of carotid artery stenosis—the medical term for a narrowing of the carotid arteries—you may suffer from several uncomfortable symptoms:

  • Vision problems in one or both eyes
  • Sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the face or body
  • Trouble speaking or understanding
  • Dizziness or loss of balance
  • Severe headache
  • Loss of function to a body area
  • Stroke

If you have any of these symptoms or have experienced them recently, you must get your condition diagnosed, as a TIA is often a sign that you are at risk of suffering a more serious stroke. At San Diego Cardiac Center, we offer a wide array of advanced diagnostic tools to assist you in discovering the cause of your symptoms before they worsen. After coronary artery stenosis is diagnosed, you are advised to undergo treatment without delay. You may be scheduled for coronary artery stenting, and our team of heart specialists can help. In some cases, medication is all that is needed, with close monitoring.

What is the procedure?

You will have an IV put into your arm or hand, through which IV sedation is administered. You will feel relaxed throughout the entire procedure. The area for the small incision will be numbed, and a long thin medical wire inserted, which serves as a guide for your coronary stenting procedure. A thin, flexible catheter is inserted over the wire and advanced to the blocked or narrowed area of the carotid artery. 

The catheter has a tiny balloon at the end, which, once it reaches its destination, is inflated. Video X-ray imaging guides every step of the procedure. The balloon, when inflated, stretches the artery open. A mesh tube, or stent, is then placed to keep the carotid artery open. The balloon is then deflated, the catheter removed, and the incision site closed and covered with a bandage. 

San Diego Cardiac Center for carotid stenting

Our specialists at San Diego Cardiac Center are recognized as being at the leading edge in heart condition diagnosis and treatment. We regularly perform carotid artery stenting procedures with great success. With four decades of practicing advanced heart treatments, our team of specialists performs these procedures with the highest level of expertise and offers the entire spectrum of advanced cardiac care. 

We are very progressive in adopting new therapies due to our engagement in ongoing clinical research, and we often deliver groundbreaking new treatments before they become broadly available. Our team is compassionate and dedicated and will do all they can to make your procedure comfortable and stress-free. 

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