The goal of treating<unk>  is to reduce the risk of stroke. The type of treatment depends on the severity of the disease and includes: * Lifestyle modifications including smoking cessation, eating a healthy diet and reducing sodium intake, losing weight, and exercising regularly. * Medications to control high blood pressure and high levels of lipids in the blood. * Surgical intervention for carotid<unk>  revascularization. Medication Clinical guidelines (such as those of the American Heart Association (AHA) and National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)) recommend that all patients with carotid<unk>  be given medications to control their vascular risk factors, usually blood pressure lowering medications (if they have hypertension), diabetes medication (if they have diabetes), and recommend exercise, weight reduction (if overweight) and smoking cessation (for smokers). In addition, they would benefit from anti-platelet medications (such as aspirin or clopidogrel) and cholesterol lowering medication (such as statins, which were originally prescribed for their cholesterol-lowering effects but were also found to reduce inflammation and stabilize plaque). Revascularization According to the American Heart Association, interventions beyond medical management is based upon whether patients have symptoms: * Asymptomatic patients: assessment of other medical conditions, life expectancy, and other individual factors; evaluation of the risks versus benefits; and patient preference are considered when determining whether surgical intervention should be performed. * Symptomatic patients: it is recommended that patients who have experienced a transient ischemic attack or non-severely disabling acute ischemic stroke undergo surgical intervention, if possible. All interventions for carotid revascularization (carotid endarterectomy, carotid stenting, and transcarotid<unk>  revascularization) carry some risk of stroke; however, where the risk of stroke over time from medical management alone is high, intervention may be beneficial.
Carotid artery stenosis
Carotid artery dissection
Orthostatic hypertension
Cerebral atherosclerosis
Arterial tortuosity syndrome
Cerebral vasospasm
Arteriolosclerosis
Carotid-cavernous fistula