What is CEA stroke?

Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is surgery to treat carotid artery disease. The carotid arteries are the main blood vessels that carry oxygen and blood to the brain. In carotid artery disease, these arteries become narrowed. This reduces blood flow to the brain and could cause a stroke.

What is CEA neuro?

Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is a type of surgery used to treat carotid stenosis that may lead to stroke or aneurysms, or to prevent stroke recurrence. During this microsurgical procedure, a UPMC neurosurgeon removes plaque blocking the carotid artery in the neck.

How is a CEA performed?

The surgeon makes an incision in the neck at the site of the blockage. The surgeon can temporarily reroute blood flow around the blockage or narrowing and isolate the area. The surgeon then makes a length-wise incision along the portion of the artery containing the plaque.

What is bilateral CEA?

Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is the gold standard treatment in symptomatic patients with stenosis of >70%, whereas the debate still continues for asymptomatic patient group (2). CEA reduces the risk of stroke in symptomatic patients with high-grade internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis.

Is CEA considered high risk surgery?

Patients considered a surgical high risk can undergo CEA without any worse outcome compared with those patients deemed low risk. The benefit of CAS will likely be marginal, and only controlled clinical trials will be able to determine if certain subgroups demonstrate improved outcome with CAS.

What is a normal CEA tumor marker?

A normal result is less than 5 nanograms per milliliter. Results might vary between labs. A higher-than-normal CEA level that increases over time might signal that your cancer has grown or has come back after treatment. But high levels of CEA do not always mean you have cancer.

How do you remove plaque from arteries in neck?

The most common way to do that is with a surgery called “carotid endarterectomy.” It’s performed by making an incision along the front of the neck, opening the carotid artery and removing the plaque.

How long does CEA surgery take?

The procedure A carotid endarterectomy usually takes 1 to 2 hours to perform. If both of your carotid arteries need to be unblocked, 2 separate procedures will be carried out. One side will be done first and the second side will be done a few weeks later.

Is carotid artery surgery high risk?

As with all types of surgery, there are risks associated with having a carotid endarterectomy. The 2 main risks are: stroke – the risk of stroke is around 2%, although this may be higher in people who have had a stroke before the operation.