Kolkata, Oct 29 A septuagenarian man underwent angioplasty and stenting in both carotid arteries after doctors at a city hospital detected critical blockages in the vessels supplying blood to the brain, face and head, which could have increased his stroke risk during a planned coronary bypass surgery.
On World Stroke Day, a senior doctor of CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI said the medical team opted to treat both arteries on the neck in a single session through a minimally invasive procedure involving the widening of the narrowed sections with a balloon and the placement of stents to keep the arteries open.
Explaining the criticality of the procedure, Dr Deep Das, a consultant neurologist at the private hospital, said that even if the carotid arteries on both sides of the neck get significantly narrowed, they could sometimes remain undetected and cause complications during cardiac procedures.
“Identifying these blockages before surgery is important because the risk of stroke must be considered alongside the risk to the heart. In carefully selected patients, carotid angioplasty and stenting can be considered as part of an individualised treatment strategy,” he said.
The intervention required careful monitoring of the patient’s blood pressure and heart rate, as well as coordination of antiplatelet medication with the planned bypass surgery.
The patient is reported to be doing well following the procedure, doctors said.
(PTI News)
