In this article, we consider kinking - extracranial artery syndrome.
The carotid artery is paired: the left part begins in the area of the brachial trunk, the right - in the area of the aortic arch. In this case, both vessels end in the chest. The internal carotid artery promotes blood supply and nutrition to all organs of the head, so any pathology can provoke serious consequences for the whole body.
Kinking of the internal carotid artery is a phenomenon of its pathological tortuosity in the form of an inflection.
Anatomical features
The carotid arteries are not absolutely symmetrical - the left is always larger than the right by a few centimeters. These vessels are responsible for the blood supply to the brain, eyes, etc. Moreover, for normal functioning of the brain, it is necessary to receive blood at the rate of 3.7 grams per minute for every 100 grams of this organ.
In the region of the cartilage of the thyroid gland, this vessel forms several branches, and is divided into the external carotid and internal carotid arteries.
Norm
In normal condition, it does not have constrictions that impede the flow of blood to the head. However, if the lumen in one of its parts is narrowed, a violation of the blood supply to the organs of the head develops. A common cause of the development of ischemic stroke, hypertension or nervous disorders is a violation of this physiological process due to tortuosity or kinks of the internal carotid artery.
Varieties of vascular pathologies
One of the most common causes of cerebral blood flow disorders is the convoluted structure of the carotid artery. In more than 28% of patients who died of a stroke, this pathology was detected. Almost every fourth in a comprehensive examination determines the elongation or tortuosity of this vessel.
Specialists distinguish the following types of tortuosity of the internal carotid artery:
- S-shaped crimp. In this case, the artery is slightly larger than necessary, as a result of which the vessel has an S-shape. In the initial stages of the pathological process, this does not cause much discomfort, however, over the years, the vessel gradually continues to lengthen, which significantly aggravates such a violation.
- Kinking of the internal carotid artery, which is a pathological inflection of an arterial vessel at an acute angle. If the pathology is congenital, the disease is detected very quickly. In other situations, the patient can treat hypertension for a long time, without even realizing what exactly lies at the heart of the problem of increasing blood pressure. There is kinking of the right internal carotid artery, as well as the left. Often, the patient is tormented by other symptoms, for example, migraine, unjustified panic outbreaks and nausea.
- Coiling, which is a loop-like crimp of a vessel. In this situation, the blood flow velocity is significantly slowed down, bouts of nausea and headache, characteristic of such cases, appear without the influence of any external causes.
Reasons for the development of kinking
In most cases, kinking of the internal carotid artery is a pathology of a congenital nature, but often other factors contribute to the development of such a disease, which include:
- age-related vascular changes;
- persistent high blood pressure;
- smoking;
- diabetes;
- unhealthy diets with lots of fats and carbohydrates;
- overweight.
A hereditary factor also plays a huge role in the development of the disease. If relatives have been diagnosed with this pathology, it is necessary to undergo a diagnosis. A sedentary lifestyle can provoke the development of kicking.
Symptoms of a pathological phenomenon
Most often, people with kinking of the internal carotid artery complain of the following symptoms:
- the frequent occurrence of a headache that does not go away after taking pain medication;
- periodically amplified noise and sound phenomena in the ears;
- periodic fainting, which can last a couple of seconds;
- fog or goosebumps before your eyes;
- impaired coordination of movements;
- in more complex cases - speech disorders and weakness of the upper limbs.
Thus, the kinking symptoms of the left internal carotid artery or the right one are very similar to a number of other vascular diseases, for example, vascular atherosclerosis common among older people. To determine the disease, it is necessary to carry out a number of necessary diagnostic procedures.
Kinking Diagnostics
To identify kinking, a pathological tortuosity of the internal carotid artery, comprehensive diagnostic measures should be taken. To begin with, the specialist conducts a survey of the patient, identifying situations and identifying moments when his health worsened. Auscultation (listening with a phonendoscope) of the carotid arteries is mandatory to determine the presence or absence of pathological murmurs and measure blood pressure.
In addition, one of the instrumental diagnostic methods should be used:
- Ultrasound, which helps to assess the structure of the arterial vessel and its walls, as well as learn about the quality of blood flow. Thanks to the method of ultrasound dopplerography, specialists determine the risk of blockage of the carotid arteries.
- Duplex scanning, which allows you to clearly assess the structure of the artery, through its visualization.
- CT and MR angiography, which allows you to see each of the layers of the carotid artery and the exact localization of pathological deformation. To improve the quality of the picture, the patient is injected into the blood with a special contrasting substance.
- Selective angiography. This technique involves the use of x-rays. In this case, the ICA (internal carotid artery) is punctured, into which the contrast medium is introduced. As a result, the specialist receives a detailed image of the internal parts of the vessel on the monitor. This technique is used only in extreme cases, for example, it is used to establish the feasibility of surgical intervention.
Disease treatment
Surgery is considered to be the only effective method of kinking therapy. In this case, the surgeons cut off the extra section of the artery, straightening the vessel. As a result of such an operation, the blood supply to the head and brain is completely restored.
Since such an surgical intervention, thanks to modern medical techniques, is the least traumatic, and it rarely takes more than 20 minutes, in most cases it is performed under local anesthesia. After surgery, the patient is sent to a hospital, and his discharge for outpatient treatment in the absence of complications is made in one to two days.
The operation efficiency is very high. All pathological symptoms completely disappear in approximately 95% of patients. The likelihood of complications is not more than 1%.
Drug therapy in this situation is ineffective, since it can only alleviate the symptoms, but does not relieve the problem itself - the pathological bending of the vessel.
Childhood treatment
Therapy of kinking of the carotid artery in childhood has some features. In general, children have begun to detect this disease relatively recently, due to the lack of the necessary diagnostic equipment in most medical facilities.
Most often, a very effective method of treating kinking in children is surgery. But, given the fact that the child is in constant development, sometimes it is possible to eliminate the cure of such a pathology without surgical manipulations. In some cases, tortuosity passes on its own as the child grows. This phenomenon is observed in almost 30% of cases. It is possible to improve blood supply to the brain and prevent the development of ischemic disorders with the help of special exercises that the specialist shows. In the event that such exercises do not give a positive effect, doctors resort to surgical intervention, especially in situations where the child feels very ill.
Preventative measures
To avoid the development of such a pathology, it is necessary:
- stick to the basics of a healthy diet;
- control body weight, moderate exercise;
- to refuse from bad habits;
- to exclude weight lifting, as a result of which the pressure on the vessels rises, and the internal carotid artery begins to gradually deform.
The article briefly reviewed carotid artery kinking. What is it and how to get rid of this pathology, you now know.