Symptomatic Carotid Stenosis: Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack

Nearly 800,000 strokes are reported in the United States annually, with an economic impact upward of $33 billion. Carotid artery disease, familiar to all vascular surgeons, accounts for just over one fifth of these strokes. However, these cases reflect an opportunity for the surgeon to intervene and mitigate the substantial burden of stroke. This review includes the epidemiology of stroke in the United States and the carotid artery and noncarotid etiologies of stroke, including atherosclerotic disease, fibromuscular dysplasia, carotid artery dissection, and cardioembolism. The clinical presentations of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and transient ischemia attacks are examined, as are the major findings expected in the patient history and physical examination. Strategies for further evaluation of the patient are discussed, including the use of sonographic imaging of the carotid artery and the relative advantages and disadvantages among the dominant modes of brain imaging. New updates to the review include interventional approaches toward the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, as well as the latest strategies regarding the timing of carotid endarterectomy after stroke and the utility of carotid artery stenting in these patients, with active areas of current research highlighted. Figures show a computed tomographic (CT) angiogram of fibromuscular dysplasia of an internal carotid artery, a CT angiogram of an internal carotid artery dissection showing a defect in the dissection, a CT scan demonstrating hemorrhagic conversion of cardioembolic stroke, a CT scan of acute thalamic hemorrhage, a CT scan of evolving ischemic stroke, a T2-weighted image demonstrating acute left frontal stroke and remote right frontal stroke, T1- and T2-weighted images of right parietal ischemic stroke, and M1 occlusion of a middle cerebral artery treated successfully with transcatheter thrombectomy. Tables list Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound and University of Washington criteria for duplex ultrasound diagnosis of carotid artery stenosis. This review contains 8 figures, 8 tables, and 68 references. Keywords: Carotid stenosis, ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, endovascular therapy, thrombolysis, infarct, hemorrhagic stroke, atherosclerosis, embolism