European research led by University College London (UCL), together with Amsterdam UMC and the University of Basel, shows that a significant proportion of patients who suffer a stroke due to carotid artery narrowing can be treated with medication only.

A risky carotid artery operation, currently still the standard treatment for many patients, may then no longer be necessary for this group of patients. This research, published in The Lancet Neurology, may lead to the global guidelines for the treatment of these patients being adjusted.

In the Netherlands, about 2,000 people with carotid artery stenosis are operated on every year after they have had a stroke. Thirty years ago, large studies showed that an operation in which a narrowing in the carotid artery is removed reduced the risk of a new stroke.