Common carotid artery pharynx. Lateral to the artery, inside the carotid sheath with the common carotid, are the internal jugular vein and vagus nerve. At the lower part of the neck, on the right side of the body, the right recurrent laryngeal nerve crosses obliquely behind the artery; the right internal jugular vein diverges from the artery. On the left side, however, the left internal jugular vein approaches and often overlaps the lower part of the artery. Behind the angle of bifurcation of the common carotid artery is a reddish-brown oval body known as the carotid body. It is similar in structure to
Carotid endarterectomy (CTA) or invasive angiography. Revascularization of symptomatic stenoses has a much higher therapeutic index compared to asymptomatic lesions. The North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET) and the European Carotid Surgery Trial (ECST) are both large randomized class 1 studies which have helped define current indications for carotid endarterectomy in symptomatic patients. The NASCET found that for every six patients treated, one major stroke would be prevented at two years (i.e. a number needed to treat (NNT) of six) for symptomatic patients with a 70–99% stenosis, where percent stenosis was defined as: Symptomatic patients with less severe carotid occlusion (50–69%)