Care for Carotid Artery Disease at University of Colorado Hospital

Why Choose Treatment for Carotid Artery Disease at University of Colorado Hospital?

University of Colorado Hospital is the first hospital in Denver and the Rocky Mountain region to use new minimally invasive treatments for carotid artery disease. We also are one of the first and few centers in the state to obtain Medicare designation to perform this procedure.

What is Carotid Artery Disease?

Carotid artery disease occurs when fatty deposits collect along the walls of the carotid arteries, which carry blood to the brain and to the face. The deposits cause the arteries to thicken and harden, restricting or stopping blood flow. Stoppages of the blood flow to the brain result in a stroke. Strokes also can be caused by blood clots in the carotid artery and pieces of hardened deposits (plaque) that break off and move through the bloodstream.

Risks for carotid artery disease include:

  • Family history of the disease, or of coronary artery disease (blockages of the arteries leading to the heart)
  • Age
  • Smoking
  • High blood pressure (hypertension)
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity
  • Inactivity

Departments Treating Carotid Artery Disease

Cardiac & Vascular Center
Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora
(720) 848-5300

Neurology
Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora
(720) 848-2080

Neurosurgery
Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora
(303) 724-2305

Carotid Artery Disease Research

Research efforts at University of Colorado Hospital allow us to provide patients with cutting-edge medical and surgical options not available elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain region. We are world leaders in developing medical and device therapies to improve your heart function and quality of life.

Carotid Artery Disease Research Trials

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved two devices to treat patients with blockages in the neck (carotid) arteries with catheter-based interventional stents, effectively eliminating the need for surgery. The Cardiac & Vascular Center at University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) uses these stents on aneurysms and carotid artery diseases.