Carotid Artery Surgery and Endovascular Intervention

Carotid artery disease is one of the most important and preventable causes of stroke. In this condition, the arteries of the neck become narrowed and stiff, limiting the blood flow to the brain. The vascular surgeons at Yale-New Haven Hospital are experienced with the diagnosis and treatment of carotid disease, offering the full range of diagnostic tests as well as all potential therapies.

Although many patients are able to be diagnosed and treated with only minimally invasive testing, such as duplex ultrasound, some patients require additional testing. When necessary, the YNHH team can perform angiography, CT angiography, and MR angiography as necessary.

Yale-New Haven Hospital offers a full range of treatment for carotid disease including minimally invasive treatment such as angioplasty and stenting. Conventional surgical procedures, such as carotid endarterectomy, are performed with some of the best results in the state. Procedures can be performed under either general or local anesthesia, often according to patient preference.

The YNHH team tailors treatment to the patient, and can perform combined surgical procedures with intraoperative stenting for complex multilevel lesions. The full range of cerebrovascular and arch vessel bypasses is offered for patients requiring support for thoracic stent graft placement.

Referring physicians with particularly difficult cases can request that their patients be discussed at the monthly interdisciplinary cerebrovascular conference, at which the team physicians, including vascular surgeons, stroke neurologists and interventional neuroradiologists, discuss all aspects of patient care, including planning procedures and quality assurance.