Michigan Heart Group Provides State-of-the-Art Management of Vascular Disease

Many patients with coronary artery disease also have carotid artery disease. This condition occurs when plaque buildup causes narrowing of the carotid arteries leading to the brain. Carotid artery disease is the main cause of stroke, which occurs in about 700,000 people each year in the United States.

Common warning signs of carotid artery disease include:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side
• Sudden confusion or dizziness
• Sudden trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause
• Sudden trouble swallowing

Michigan Heart Group’s board-certified vascular medicine specialists have the technology to accurately diagnose this disease, and you can take advantage of the most advanced treatment options in the area, delivered in a compassionate, patient-centered manner. Treatment options include:

• Stenting – Placement of a wire mesh tube to permanently prop open an artery during angioplasty, which improves blood flow and relieves pain in the affected area.
• Endarterectomy – A surgical procedure in which a doctor removes fatty deposits blocking one of the two carotid arteries, the main supply of blood for the brain. Carotid endarterectomy is performed to prevent stroke.

Renal artery stenosis is a narrowing of arteries that carry blood to one or both of the kidneys. Most often seen in older people with atherosclerosis, renal artery stenosis can worsen over time and often leads to high blood pressure and kidney damage.

Initial treatment for renal artery stenosis is often medication, which may require three or more different drugs to control high blood pressure.

In some cases, an intervention such as angioplasty, often with stenting or surgery, may be recommended. With angioplasty, a catheter is inserted into the body through a blood vessel and guided to the narrowed or blocked renal artery. A balloon on the catheter is then inflated which helps open up the inside of the artery. A stent can then be placed to keep the area open.

If you’re diagnosed with renal artery stenosis you can consult with a board-certified Michigan Heart Group Vascular Specialist and the latest treatment for this condition can be offered.