Common carotid artery the bifurcation. Carotid stenosis may occur in patients with atherosclerosis. The intima-media thickness of the carotid artery wall is a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, it increases with age and with long-term exposure to particulate air pollution. Common carotid artery In anatomy, the left and right common carotid arteries (carotids) () are arteries that supply the head and neck with oxygenated blood; they divide in the neck to form the external and internal carotid arteries. The common carotid arteries are present on the left and right sides of the body. These arteries originate from different arteries but follow symmetrical courses. The
Carotid endarterectomy 7 carotid stent systems as safe and effective in patients at increased risk of complications for carotid surgery and 1 carotid stent system for patients at average or usual risk of carotid surgery. The SAPPHIRE study of patients at high surgical risk for carotid surgery demonstrated non-inferiority for carotid stenting compared to carotid surgery. The CREST trial, the largest trial comparing carotid surgery to carotid stenting in over 2,500 patients found that carotid artery stenting resulted in a stroke rate of 6.4% versus 4.7% for endarterectomy at 4 years. However, carotid endarterectomy was associated with a slightly higher rate of