Diagnosis of Carotid Artery Disease
In most cases, there are no symptoms of carotid artery disease until you have a TIA or stroke. This is why it is important to see your doctor regularly for physical exams. Your doctor can listen to the arteries in your neck with a stethoscope. If an abnormal sound, called bruit, is heard over an artery, it may reflect turbulent blood flow. This implies that there is carotid artery disease.
Listening for bruit in the neck is very safe, simple and inexpensive way to test for stenosis of the carotid artery, although it may not observe all blockages. Some experts believe that bruits can be better predictors of atherosclerotic disease rather than risk of stroke.
Tests for carotid artery include:
Carotid Ultrasound (Standard Or Doppler)
This is a noninvasive, painless screening test that uses high-frequency sound waves to view the carotid arteries. It looks for plaques and blood clot and determines whether the arteries are narrowed or blocked. A doppler ultrasound shows the movement of blood through the blood vessels. Ultrasound imaging does not involve X-rays.
Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA)
This imaging technique uses a strong magnet to acquire correct information about the brain and arteries. Then a computer uses this information to create high-resolution images. An MRA can detect little strokes in the brain.