Carotid Artery Screening: Stroke Risk Assessment:

• Each year more than 750,000 people in the United States experience a stroke.

• Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the number one cause of adult disability.

• Recurrent stroke is frequent:  about 25 percent of people who recover from their first stroke will have another stroke within five years.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly interrupted (ischemic stroke) or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, spilling blood into the spaces surrounding brain cells (hemorrhagic stroke).    The symptoms of stroke include sudden weakness or numbness, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech;  sudden loss of vision in one eye like a shade or blind being pulled over the eye;  sudden trouble with walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination.

Ischemic strokes are caused by atherosclerosis or a build up of fatty plaques in the blood vessels that supply the brain.   It is  the same cause of heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, and  abdominal aortic aneurysm

Carotid artery ultrasound is a painless and harmless test that uses high frequency sound waves to create images and measure blood velocities in the carotid arteries which supply the brain with blood. You have  one carotid artery on each side of your neck.  80% of strokes are caused by blockage in these carotid arteries. A material called plaque (plak) builds up on the inside of the artery. Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances circulating in the blood. The plaque can completely clog the artery or pieces can break off and stop blood flow to the brain.