A doctor in Zhejiang, China, recently extracted a chicken-foot-shaped plaque from a heavy smoker’s artery.
According to Haicang Today, the patient, 55-year-old Mr Liu (pseudonym), smokes two packs of cigarettes a day.
For the past two months, he had been suffering from frequent “blackouts” in his right eye, accompanied by blurred vision that would last over 10 seconds.
This prompted him to seek treatment at Ningbo Second Hospital, where an ultrasound revealed that his right internal carotid artery had been narrowed by over 90%.
Carotid arteries, located in the neck, supply blood and oxygen to the brain.
After developing a surgical plan, Dr Wang Kai, chief physician of the hospital’s Department of Neurosurgery, spent two hours removing the 4-centimetre hardened plaque, which turned out to look like a chicken’s foot.
The plaque’s chicken foot shape was formed because of its location in the intersection of the common, internal, and external carotid arteries.
Source: Nanjing Morning Post
When plaques form on the arteries’ walls, they obstruct blood circulation and can cause a stroke.
Some people with carotid artery conditions may experience temporary loss of vision, dizziness, headache, slurred speech, and sudden weakness and numbness in one side of the limbs.
However, most people are asymptomatic before the onset of a stroke, which makes these disorders more dangerous.
High blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar are factors that may lead to atherosclerosis, or the buildup of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in and on the arteries.
Additionally, bad habits such as overeating, drinking, staying up late, and a lack of exercise can also contribute to the disease.
To prevent the buildup of plaque in the arteries, doctors recommend eating a balanced diet, quitting smoking, limiting alcohol, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly.
They also urge people over 40 to undergo carotid ultrasound once a year, with high-risk groups and those over 60 advised to get screened every six months to a year.
Early screening and treatment can reverse the obstruction in the arteries, the Nanjing Morning Post reported.
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Featured image adapted from Nanjing Morning Post.