People with a family history of aneurysms often face a higher risk. Your provider will ask about medical conditions that have affected your biological family. A whooshing sound (carotid bruit) is sometimes a sign of a carotid artery aneurysm. This includes using a stethoscope to hear blood flow through your carotid artery. Healthcare providers diagnose carotid artery aneurysms through: How is a carotid artery aneurysm diagnosed? Many factors can raise your risk of weakened arterial walls, including: What are the risk factors for carotid artery aneurysms?Ĭarotid artery aneurysms happen when your artery’s walls become weak. Traumatic injury to your artery, such as a gunshot or stab wound.These include complications from carotid endarterectomy, central line placement or radiation therapy. These include fibromuscular dysplasia and connective tissue diseases. Conditions that make your artery walls weak.There are many possible causes of carotid artery aneurysms, including: Throbbing lump you can feel in your neck.Ĭall your healthcare provider if you have any of these symptoms.If the aneurysm presses on veins or nerves in your neck or head, you may experience: If you live alone, it’s a good idea to get a medical alert system that requires simply pushing a button to seek help.Īside from TIAs and strokes, the aneurysm may cause you to feel other symptoms if it puts pressure on nearby structures. So, it’s important to educate your loved ones about TIA and stroke symptoms so they know when to call for help. You may not be able to call 911 if you’re experiencing severe symptoms. Trouble speaking or understanding others’ speech.Numbness or weakness in your face, arms or legs, especially on one side of your body.Dizziness, loss of coordination or feeling off-balance.Difficulty seeing from one or both eyes.Call 911 or your local emergency number if you have any of the following symptoms: TIAs and strokes are medical emergencies that need immediate care. Both TIAs and strokes happen when blood flow to your brain is interrupted. A TIA is also called a “mini stroke,” and it may be a warning sign that a stroke may happen in the next few days or weeks. Of those who do, symptoms of a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke are most common. Some people with carotid artery aneurysms have no symptoms. What are the symptoms of a carotid artery aneurysm? Fewer than 1 in 100 aneurysms are carotid artery aneurysms. Are carotid artery aneurysms common?Ĭarotid artery aneurysms are rare. But they usually affect people in their 50s or 60s. Who do carotid artery aneurysms affect?Ĭarotid artery aneurysms can affect adults of any age and, rarely, children. It usually looks like a round sac that sticks out of your artery on a narrow “neck.” Trauma, infection and complications from medical procedures are typical causes of a pseudoaneurysm.īoth true and false aneurysms can lead to complications and may require treatment. A pseudoaneurysm only affects one or two layers of your artery wall. Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of a true aneurysm.Ī false carotid artery aneurysm is also called a pseudoaneurysm. These three layers (intima, media and adventitia) all bulge outward and form the aneurysm’s wall. A true carotid artery aneurysm affects all three layers of your artery wall. These are medical terms that describe how the bulge forms in your artery. Like other aneurysms, carotid artery aneurysms can be either true or false. Large aneurysms may rupture (burst), leading to a hemorrhagic stroke and life-threatening bleeding. This can lead to a transient ischemic attack (TIA) (mini stroke) or ischemic stroke. But blood clots can sometimes form in the aneurysm and block blood flow to your brain. These aneurysms may be small and cause no complications. How serious is a carotid artery aneurysm?Ĭarotid artery aneurysms affect blood vessels that send blood to your brain. So, the larger an aneurysm grows, the more dangerous it can be. As the balloon gets bigger, its walls get thinner and may pop. You can compare this to a balloon filling up with air. There’s an increased risk that the aneurysm will burst. As the aneurysm grows bigger, your artery wall grows thinner. But they usually develop in one of your internal carotid arteries.Īn aneurysm happens when part of an artery wall weakens. Aneurysms may affect any of your carotid arteries. These are your internal carotid artery and external carotid artery. As it travels up your neck, each common carotid artery divides into two branches. You have a common carotid artery on each side of your upper chest. These arteries supply blood to your brain, head, face and neck. A carotid artery aneurysm is a bulge in one of your carotid arteries.
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