Carotid bruit are discovered incidentally in an otherwise asymptomatic patient. The presence of a carotid bruit alone does not necessarily indicate the presence of stenosis, and the physical examination cannot be used to estimate the degree of stenosis, if present; therefore, any bruit must be evaluated by ultrasound or imaging. Bruit is traditionally pronounced "broot", rhyming with "boot", although the etymologically accurate pronunciation "bru´e" or "bru-e´" is common in North American medical parlance. In addition, while "bruit" and "murmur" are technically synonymous, the term "bruit" is generally reserved for arterial sounds in North America. Carotid bruit A carotid bruit is a vascular
Carotid sinus therapeutic examination tool. In studies of thousands of uses on elderly patients, there were no complications of death or bradycardic events requiring treatment or resuscitation, even though this age group is more likely to be symptomatic from carotid sinus stimulation. A carotid massage can also possibly dislodge a thrombus, or some plaque. This could lead to any number of life-threatening effects, including stroke. Stimulation of the carotid sinus via a slap or a strike, to induce (usually temporary, but sometimes lethal) loss of consciousness is an effective self-defense technique, and is often taught in martial arts such as karate and