Carotid Artery Ultrasound

This is done to check for plaque in the carotid arteries, the main arteries that lead to the brain. Plaque in the carotid arteries, if significant, can cause clots that lead to strokes. There are other things that can be picked up on a carotid artery ultrasound such as dissection (tear in the wall of the artery) or fibromuscular dysplasia (an abnormal artery wall resulting in aneurysms).