According to the American Heart Association, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States behind heart disease and cancer and the major cause of serious long term disability. One of the main causes of stroke is atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries, commonly referred to as Carotid Artery Disease. The build up of plaque in the carotid arteries may lead to a stroke in one of two ways:
Plaque build up narrowing the blood vessel so that the flow of blood to the brain is blocked
Pieces of plaque or a blood clot can break off and travel to a smaller artery in the brain, blocking the blood flow in that artery.
