An estimated five percent of the population is walking around with a risk factor for stroke, a condition called carotid artery disease but there’s a procedure that can treat the condition and prevent the risk of future strokes.
Slawek Cegielski, 63, considers himself a lucky man.
Several years ago he underwent radiation treatment for a rare form of neck cancer then recently, he faced another challenge.
“This came in about six o’clock in the morning on my job site. I tried to say ‘Have a good day’ and I was not able to, so I figured out something was wrong,” he said.
Dr. Mohammed Abdallah, a vascular surgeon at Broward Health North, said radiation therapy can cause inflammation and scarring, resulting in blockages in the arteries, which increases the risk of stroke.
“About 15 million people worldwide have strokes about a third of them are due to carotid disease,” Abdallah said.
Fortunately Cegielski was a good candidate for a minimally invasive procedure called trans-carotid artery revascularization, or TCAR.
Blood flow is temporarily reversed during the procedure so that any small bits of plaque that may break off are diverted away from the brain, preventing a stroke from occurring.
“The risk of nerve injury which could be debilitating for a patient is almost nonexistent. It takes less time to perform the procedure and patients don’t feel the pain that they would if they had an open procedure,” Abdallah said.
Cegielski was released from the hospital the same day of the surgery and is now back at work.
“Honestly, I cannot see any difference from before and right now. I’m surprised how smooth this goes, and hopefully stay that way,” he said.
More than 35 thousand TCAR procedures have been performed worldwide through both clinical trials and commercial use.
The FDA has expanded its use for patients with carotid artery disease.
Continue reading...
Slawek Cegielski, 63, considers himself a lucky man.
Several years ago he underwent radiation treatment for a rare form of neck cancer then recently, he faced another challenge.
“This came in about six o’clock in the morning on my job site. I tried to say ‘Have a good day’ and I was not able to, so I figured out something was wrong,” he said.
Dr. Mohammed Abdallah, a vascular surgeon at Broward Health North, said radiation therapy can cause inflammation and scarring, resulting in blockages in the arteries, which increases the risk of stroke.
“About 15 million people worldwide have strokes about a third of them are due to carotid disease,” Abdallah said.
Fortunately Cegielski was a good candidate for a minimally invasive procedure called trans-carotid artery revascularization, or TCAR.
Blood flow is temporarily reversed during the procedure so that any small bits of plaque that may break off are diverted away from the brain, preventing a stroke from occurring.
“The risk of nerve injury which could be debilitating for a patient is almost nonexistent. It takes less time to perform the procedure and patients don’t feel the pain that they would if they had an open procedure,” Abdallah said.
Cegielski was released from the hospital the same day of the surgery and is now back at work.
“Honestly, I cannot see any difference from before and right now. I’m surprised how smooth this goes, and hopefully stay that way,” he said.
More than 35 thousand TCAR procedures have been performed worldwide through both clinical trials and commercial use.
The FDA has expanded its use for patients with carotid artery disease.
Continue reading...