Diseases of the carotid artery | Carotid artery anatomy and function

Diseases of the carotid artery

Constriction (stenosis) or occlusion of the arteries supplying the brain If stenosis of an artery occurs due to arteriosclerosis, the blood supply to this vessel is reduced and thus the supply of oxygen decreases. If this constriction develops very slowly, i.e. chronically, a collateral circulation can develop via the other vessels. This means that the supply of the corresponding area is taken over by the other surrounding vessels.

Thus, this clinical picture remains symptom-free at first. If, however, an acute stenosis occurs without an expanded collateral circulation or an acute occlusion of a vessel supplying the brain, this leads to a cerebral infarction (synonym: ischemic insult, apoplexy, stroke).After the coronary arteries, the carotid artery is the most frequently affected. The symptoms correspond to the less well supplied area. The following symptoms may occur:

  • Hemiplegia (on opposite side)
  • Numbness and tingling
  • Speech disorders
  • Visual disorders

Pain of the carotid artery

Pain in the carotid artery area can be caused by various problems. The most likely cause is simply skeletal-muscular pain, which in most cases can be considered harmless. They can be caused by an unfavorable posture, for example when sleeping.

The pain felt here is usually described as pulling and occurs mainly when the head is moved. It is often difficult for the person affected to localize the pain precisely, since the carotid artery runs in the immediate vicinity of various muscles, especially the prominent sternocleidomastoid muscle cluster. Significantly less likely, but more dangerous, is a so-called carotid dissection as a cause of pain in the frontal neck area.

In this case, the pain actually originates in the carotid artery. A dissection represents a splitting of the wall layers of an artery, in this case the arteria carotis communis or one of its two branches. When such a dissection occurs, it usually causes a sharp, suddenly shooting pain, which can even lead to unconsciousness.

In some cases, however, it can be “silent”, i.e. without any pain. Apart from these two causes, a number of other diseases can be responsible for carotid pain in rare cases. These include inflammatory diseases or a narrowing of the carotid artery due to arteriosclerosis, the so-called carotid stenosis.