Cardiology & Vascular Research

Comparative Analysis of Surgical Treatments for Extracranial Carotid Atherosclerotic Disease in Brazil in the Last 2 Decades: Angioplasty x Endarterectomy

Abstract

Alice Sarno Menezes, Breno Leal Mota Silva, Isabela Pereira De-Farias, Gustavo Novaes Lima, Mariana Ferreira Franco De-Lima and Wagner Ramos Borges

The condition known as extracranial carotid atherosclerosis occurs when atheromatous plaques (composed of necrotic cells, lipids, cholesterol crystals and other constituents) accumulate on the walls of the carotid artery outside the skull, obstructing blood flow. This can lead to stenosis of the artery, which can directly affect the cerebral vascular system, through cerebral embolism, hypoperfusion secondary to critical stenosis, intracranial extension of a carotid thrombus due to an atheromatous plaque or dissection of the arterial wall. This affects the blood supply to the brain and increases the risk of events such as cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or transient ischemic attack (TIA), which are important causes of death in Brazil [1-3].

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