Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Carotid angioplasty performed

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, MAY 23 . A team of doctors at the Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre here have set right stenosis (narrowing of the vessels carrying blood to the brain), through carotid angioplasty.

Kali, a 67-year-old retired teacher of T. Kallupatti, a diabetic patient, was referred to the hospital with difficulty in speech and limb movements, and the carotid angiogram revealed a bilateral tight of 90 per cent internal carotid artery stenosis. A carotid angioplasty was recommended for both sides, R. Sivakumar, cardiologist, MMHRC, said.

He said the patient recovered dramatically after the procedure performed recently, and even considered early discharge.

"As in the case of heart attack, when cholesterol gets deposited in arteries, the patient may suffer a stroke, which can result in a sudden loss of function of one side of the body, and even of speech. Hence, it is important to keep these internal carotid arteries clean and without any stenosis," he said.

"When patients have 50 per cent narrowing of the arteries and symptoms of recurrent stroke, and patients with more than 80 per cent of stenosis, even if they are asymptomatic, it is necessary to relieve the stenosis through the carotid angioplasty. The procedure is done through a small nick in the thigh and by advancing a spring-like structure across the narrowed portion of the carotid artery and expanding it across the stenosis," he said.

"During this procedure, there is a possibility of a blood clot and cholesterol plaques being taken distally into the brain vessels, which may cause a permanent damage to the brain," he said.

The team that performed the procedure was led by Dr. Sivakumar, and included interventional radiologist T Mukuntharajan and cardiologists S Selvamani and Cibi Issac.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

• Time ripe for Periyar dam water release on June 1
• Advocates upset over delay in Bench opening
• Carotid angioplasty performed
• 500 free cleft lip surgeries done
• `Prepare error-free question papers'
• MMK thanks Centre
• Teachers hail Govt. decision
• Around the City
• In Madurai Today

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu