Extracranial Cerebral Arteries

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease constitutes the most common cause of death in Western industrialized countries. The most serious cerebrovascular manifestation is stroke with its complications, which are fatal in one third of cases. Patients who survive cerebral infarction often suffer from irreversible damage and paralysis and require permanent care. With atherosclerosis of the carotid system becoming more common in old age, cerebral infarction gains relevance as the population ages (Fabres et al. 1994; Mannami et al. 1997; Roederer et al. 1984). Over 60–70% of all ischemic cerebral infarctions are caused by arterial embolism, typically arising from the carotid artery (Bock et al. 1993; Evans 1999; Roederer et al. 1984).