To operate or not to operate. That question has been long-standing for asymptomatic patients with narrowing of the carotid artery.
Patients are at increased risk of stroke.
But surgery to implant a shunt around the bottleneck, of course, has risks. The technique, which employs ultrasound to monitor blood flow, is simple and noninvasive. In Hopkins' Neurocirculatory Physiology Lab, patients rest while an ultrasound-emitting probe is passed over the skull, usually at the temples. By comparing patient results with standard readings, Razumovsky can detect changes in blood flow. Typically, TCD has been used to spot bloodflow changes that result from occlusion in carotid arteries.