Common carotid artery vertebral artery. The common carotid artery is often used in measuring the pulse,{ especially in patients who are in shock and who lack a detectable pulse in the more peripheral arteries of the body. The pulse is taken by palpating the artery just deep to the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle at the level of the superior border of the thyroid cartilage. Presence of a carotid pulse has been estimated to indicate a systolic blood pressure of more than 40 mmHg, as given by the 50% percentile. Carotidynia is a syndrome marked by soreness of the carotid artery near
Carotid stenting trial. This trial showed no difference between carotid stenting and carotid surgery in average risk patients. Most recently, a broad consensus of experts released a guideline document suggesting that in most cases, carotid stenting may be considered an alternative therapy to surgery. Carotid stenting can be performed under general or local anesthesia. Critical steps in the procedure are vascular access, crossing the stenosis with a wire, deploying a stent across the lesion, and removing the vascular access. A number of other steps may or may not be performed, including the use of a cerebral protection device, pre- or post-stent balloon