Carotid artery clogged | Carotid artery anatomy and function

Carotid artery clogged

When colloquially speaking of “clogging” an artery, this usually refers to the narrowing of the vessel due to arteriosclerosis, i.e. deposits in the vessel wall which protrude into the lumen of the artery and thus impede or even prevent blood flow. A direct “clogging” of arteries in the form of a thrombus, i.e. a blood clot, is also possible, but far less likely. The situation is different with veins, which are not affected by arteriosclerosis, but are often affected by thromboses, i.e. “real blockages”.

But back to the narrowing of the carotid artery, the carotid stenosis. Its occurrence becomes more and more probable with increasing age, until with reaching the age of 65, about 50% of all people in Germany are affected by a narrowing of the carotid arteries. The cause of narrowing of the carotid artery or its branches is, as mentioned, usually the creeping development of arteriosclerosis, which in turn is promoted by high blood pressure, high blood lipid levels, diabetes and smoking.

Common complications include temporary or complete strokes or temporary blindness or at least visual impairment. Carotid stenosis is diagnosed by a combination of observed symptoms and imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT). Once the diagnosis is confirmed, depending on the severity of the stenosis, either drug therapy or various surgical procedures are available to restore an unimpeded blood flow through the carotid artery.