Carotid Endarterectomy is a surgical procedure to open up the carotid arteries, the major blood vessels to the brain, when blood supply is blocked by the build-up of fat deposits (plaque).
In almost 50 per cent of cases, this plaque would be “vulnerable”, that small clumps can break away and go into the brain, causing a TIA or a stroke.
In people whose carotid arteries have 50-80 per cent blockage and who may have experienced single or multiple episodes of TIA (Crescendo TIA), the risk of a major stroke in the near future is very high – CEA can significantly reduce this risk.
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An incision is made on the skin on the neck, the plaque is removed and the artery cleared out and is sutured back with a vein patch so that the blood supply is fully restored.
CEA is warranted only if the blockage is over 50-80 per cent (as it shows up in a CT/MRI angiogram) and the patient has been experiencing symptoms. In an evaluation of 203 CEA cases at SCTIMST, 190 reported previous warning symptoms.
Between 1997 and 2007, SCTIMST had done only 39 CEA cases. With the setting up of the Comprehensive Stroke Care Programme, now about 40 cases are being done annually.
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