The common<unk>  artery is the large artery whose pulse can be felt on both sides of the neck under the jaw. On the right side it starts from the brachiocephalic artery (a branch of the aorta), and on the left side the artery comes directly off the aortic arch. At the throat it forks into the internal<unk>  artery and the external<unk>  artery. The internal<unk>  artery supplies the brain, and the external<unk>  artery supplies the face. This fork is a common site for atherosclerosis, an inflammatory build-up of atheromatous plaque inside the common<unk>  artery, or the internal<unk>  arteries that causes them to narrow. The plaque can be stable and asymptomatic, or it can be a source of embolization. Emboli break off from the plaque and travel through the circulation to blood vessels in the brain. As the vessels get smaller, an embolus can lodge in the vessel wall and restrict the blood flow to parts of the brain. This ischemia can either be temporary, yielding a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or permanent resulting in a thromboembolic stroke. Transient ischemic attacks are a warning sign and may be followed by severe permanent strokes, particularly within the first two days. TIAs by definition last less than 24 hours and frequently take the form of weakness or loss of sensation of a limb or the trunk on one side of the body or the loss of sight (amaurosis fugax) in one eye. Less common symptoms are artery sounds (bruits), or ringing in the ears (tinnitus). In asymptomatic individuals with a<unk><unk> , the risk of developing a stroke is increased above those without a<unk> . The risk of stroke is possibly related to the degree of<unk>  on imaging. Some studies have found an increased risk with increasing degrees of<unk>  while other studies have not been able to find such a relationship.
Carotid artery stenosis
Carotid artery dissection
Orthostatic hypertension
Cerebral atherosclerosis
Arterial tortuosity syndrome
Cerebral vasospasm
Arteriolosclerosis
Carotid-cavernous fistula