A 100 percent blockage of the carotid artery is generally referred to as a carotid occlusion. Whether a carotid occlusion is serious or not needs to be assessed by a doctor depending on the situation. Acute carotid occlusions can be life-threatening, while patients with abundant collateral circulation may be asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.
Carotid artery occlusion can be caused by a variety of reasons, often seen in carotid artery stenosis based on thrombosis, or atherosclerotic plaque thickening, plaque or embolus embolization.
If the occlusion is eventually caused by the aggravation of a chronic disease such as atherosclerosis, the patient usually compensates for it by himself, for example, by generating collateral circulation. Patients with good blood flow in the collateral circulation may be completely asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.
However, acute carotid artery occlusion caused by embolism and blockage of the carotid artery from other places will result in serious hemodynamic disorders, and the patient will experience monocular transient, affecting the blood supply and oxygenation of the brain, and even cerebral infarction.
It is recommended that patients with carotid artery occlusion should seek timely medical treatment, and actively treat under the guidance of the doctor, so as to avoid delaying the condition and causing serious consequences.