Carotid Artery Stent
Procedure Makes You Smarter - Minimal Invasive Surgery Improves Memory
and Mental Skills and Reduce Stroke Risk
April 6th 2006
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A stenting procedure in patients to reduce the risk of stroke has had
the un-expected side-effect of making the patient smarter. Doctors from
Toronto Canada found that after performing a minimally invasive neck
procedure, their patients showed gains in memory and mental skills.
According to an ABC News report, the procedure, called carotid stenting
(or carotid endarterectomy), is an alternative to painful neck surgery.
Carotid stenting relies on tiny devices maneuvered through the
circulatory system to the carotid arteries in the neck. The doctors
then inflate a balloon to push the plaque into the vessel wall and then
implant a metal-mesh scaffold, or stent, to keep the clogged artery
open.
Evidently the increased blood flow improved brain function in some of
their patients. According to Dr. Rodney Raabe, an interventional
radiologist and who was the study's lead researcher, “People who have
high-grade narrowing of the arteries will benefit best. Particularly
patients who have started to have memory problems should go to doctors
to get an ultrasound to see if they have a blockage."
The stents are used to treat atherosclerosis in the carotid artery.
Plaque buildup can cause hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
As the plaque builds up, the arteries narrow and stiffen, until
eventually pieces of plaque may break away and block the arteries in the
brain. The buildup of the plaque is called carotid artery disease. If a
clot blocks a tiny artery in the brain, it may cause a transient
ischemic attack, also known as a mini-stroke.
The procedure is considered experimental, according to the Society for
Vascular Surgery. You may be a candidate for the procedure if you are
considered high risk for carotid endarterectomy, if your carotid artery
is significantly narrowed (usually by more than 60 percent), and if you
have had symptoms of a mini stroke or stroke. You may also be a
candidate if you have no symptoms, but your carotid artery is severely
narrowed (more than 80%) and you are considered high risk for carotid
endarterectomy. You may also be a candidate if you have developed a new
narrowing after previous carotid surgery.
There are risks from the procedure. Raabe warns that there is a low
risk of stroke from the procedure itself, and minor risk of bleeding at
the entry site. The doctors have created an umbrella device that helps
catch the clots.
Strokes are a significant problem in the United States. They occur
every 45 seconds, and every three minutes someone dies from a stroke.
Stroke is the leading cause of serious long-term disability. Twenty-two
percent of men and 25 percent of women who have strokes die within a
year and 15 percent to 30 percent of stroke victims are left disabled.
Raabe said the findings are astounding. Patients not only had a lower
risk of suffering a stroke, but they also had improved cognitive
function, better memory and better reasoning ability. Some patients
were able to go home after the procedure, while other patients who felt
incapacitated before the procedure, felt well enough to go back to work.
Another amazing finding was that some patients said that colors appeared
brighter after the surgery.
"In the past, we thought the only benefit is that they would only have a
decrease of stroke [risk]," Raabe said. "This finding about the
improvement in mental ability was a total surprise."
By Dan Wilson
Best Syndication
Stroke Treatment Books
Keywords and misspellings: stroak strok prevention
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