Usual Symptoms of a mini stroke are –

1. Weakness or numbness on one side(leg, arm or face)
2. Slurred Speech
3. Visual Disturbances.

If the symptoms last a few minutes/hours, they may be alarming signs of carotid blockage and an impending stroke.

Symptoms evaluated by a carotid Doppler test, a simple non-invasive neck sonography. A confirmatory angiography or CT angiography may also be done.

Additionally, patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol or past heart problems must do a baseline carotid Doppler test.

If the blockage is identified at early stages and successfully treated , major strokes can be minimized. Minor blockages, less than 50% are treated with blood thinners and cholesterol-controlling medicines. Blockages more than 50% are treated with surgery or angioplasty with stenting. Major treatment options are –

1. Carotid endarterectomy, a special surgical procedure used to remove carotid artery blockage, routinely performed with a loco-regional anesthesia for easy intraoperative neurological monitoring. A shunt is used to maintain blood flow to the brain.The artery is repaired with a vein or graft patch to prevent narrowing.
2. Carotid angioplasty with stenting under a protection device prevents small plaque particles from dislodging into the brain during sterling, reducing complications to less than 3%. It is mainly performed in high-risk patients or in patients with high carotid bifurcation.