WCMM-associated researcher
ImageMattias Pettersson
Carotid stenosis
Carotid stenosis is a common cause of stroke. There is a flaw in the current grading of carotid stenoses. The globally accepted and used grading method is erroneously applied. A vast majority of severe carotid stenoses are therefore misinterpreted as either less severe or as occlusions. Correctly applying the grading method has revealed that there are many unknowns about the diagnosing and management of severe carotid stenosis.
In our current research, we will improve diagnostic and prognostic methods for severe carotid stenosis. This will lead to a way to correctly diagnose if a patient has severe carotid stenosis and a way to determine if a patient with severe carotid stenosis is likely to require treatment.
We will also try to understand the mechanism behind the strokes among patients with severe carotid stenosis. For some proposed mechanisms, more effective treatments than the current standard treatments (surgery or stenting) are possible. Based on the outcome of the current research, a randomized trial can be designed which will determine if efficacy of the best treatment option.