Carotid Overhaul: Stents and surgery go neck and neck

For 40 years, doctors have cleared blockages of the carotid arteries in the neck, which supply blood to the head, by surgically removing plaque from the vessels. The technique contrasts with a common way for treating artery obstructions around the heart. Once known mainly as balloon angioplasty, the latter procedure involves snaking an inflatable catheter through a small incision to open the vessel from the inside and then inserting a mesh cylinder called a stent to keep the artery open.