Carotid artery
General characteristics of the carotid artery
The carotid artery is a paired artery that originates in the chest cavity. The main function of the common carotid artery is to supply blood to the brain, eyes and most of the head.
The structure of the carotid artery
The common carotid artery is divided into two: left and right. The right one originates in the region of the brachiocephalic trunk, and the left one in the region of the aortic arch. From this it follows that the left artery is one to three centimeters longer than the right artery. Further, the common carotid artery moves vertically upward from the aorta, bypassing the chest, and exits into the cervical region. In the cervical region, the carotid artery is located in front of the surface of the transverse processes of the cervical vertebrae and the muscles that cover them. On the side of the esophagus and trachea, behind the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
As it rises, the carotid artery does not divide and only in the region of the upper edge of the thyroid cartilage bifurcates into the external carotid artery and the internal carotid artery. At the site of division there is an enlarged part of the carotid artery - the carotid sinus, next to which the carotid glomus is located.
Functions of the carotid artery
The main function of the carotid artery, as mentioned above, is to supply blood to the brain, eyes and most of the head. The normal blood supply to the brain is about 50 ml per 100 grams of tissue. This level of blood supply to the carotid artery is provided only by healthy arteries with normal intima and normal vessel width.
The width of the vessels can be disrupted due to various reasons and diseases, such as: atherosclerosis, tuberculosis, syphilis. The narrowing itself, i.e. Carotid artery stenosis occurs due to the formation of plaque in the carotid artery. As a result, blood turbulence occurs in the bloodstream, which can cause thrombosis and cerebral stroke. Also, a cerebral stroke can occur due to pieces of decaying plaque of the carotid artery getting into small blood vessels of the brain, which causes blockage and thrombosis.
Blockage means the complete disappearance of the lumen of the artery. Blockage is the development of carotid artery stenosis. In case of critical disturbances in blood flow, surgery on the carotid artery eliminates problems and helps to improve cerebral circulation and prevent stroke.
Another disease is the tortuosity of the carotid artery. This is one of the most poorly studied diseases of the carotid arteries. The tortuosity of the carotid artery is the cause of one third of fatal strokes. Often this disease is congenital, but sometimes it develops in the course of hypertension. The disease may not give any symptoms, but at some point, cerebral circulation disorders may begin.
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