UCLA first on West Coast to perform new procedure to open blocked carotid arteries

Doctors at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center have become the first on the West Coast to perform a new, less-invasive procedure to help clear plaque-ridden carotid arteries. The procedure, which is part of a clinical trial, took place on March 28.   Just as arteries to the heart can become clogged with plaque, causing a blockage, so can the two carotid arteries that supply blood to the brain. Every year, more than 300,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with such blockages, which, if left untreated, can reduce or even stop blood flow to the brain, causing a potentially disabling stroke.    Current treatment options include the traditional "open" surgery approach to clean out the carotid artery and a minimally invasive alternative that uses a stent to keep the artery open.   Each of these options has some limitations. Traditional surgery involves making a large incision along the neck and carries the risk of surgical complications. While less invasive, the stent procedure requires the insertion of a catheter through an artery in the groin to guide the stent into place, which can potentially dislodge plaque; loose plaque can travel through the bloodstream and cause a blockage. Some studies have indicated that the stent procedure carries a higher risk of stroke than the surgical procedure.    The new technique and device system being tested at UCLA is called transcarotid stenting with dynamic flow reversal, or the Silk Road Procedure, which all...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news