Stroke Prevention Procedures
Lifestyle changes, medication and other treatment options help to prevent strokes. However, some patients who are nevertheless at high risk, due to atherosclerotic narrowing of the carotid artery, may need an interventional procedure.
Interventional specialists at experienced centers such as that at Lourdes offer a variety of procedures to prevent this type of stroke in high-risk patients. For carotid disease, for example, the interventional team may insert a catheter into the artery to access and visualize it; use angioplasty to re-expand the narrowed arterial opening to restore blood flow; and then, insert a small tube (stent) made of fine mesh into the compromised area of the carotid artery to help it remain open. Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden is among select hospitals that perform this procedure. The service's outcomes for carotid artery angioplasty and stenting surpass those of national and international registries.
Lourdes vascular surgeons are also accomplished at surgical treatment of carotid artery narrowing. In carotid endarterectomy, they use an open surgical technique to remove plaque and reopen these arteries. For carotid sugery, Lourdes rates Five-Stars and among the Top 2 centers in New Jersey, according to HealthGrades®. (See complete ratings.)
Lourdes specialists carefully evaluate patients to determine if they are candidates for carotid intervention. They discuss choices with patient, family and referring physician—and work in collaboration with Lourdes' award-winning Stroke Center.
For more information on this procedure or to refer a patient who may be a candidate for a carotid stent, contact the New Jersey Heart Institute at Lourdes at 856-365-4072.
Always remember, if you think you or a loved one are having a stroke, call 911 immediately. For more information about stroke, call the Lourdes Stroke Center at 856-668-8430.
