Carotid stenosis is a narrowing of the main neck pipes that feed blood to the brain. The plaque build-up acts like a partly closed faucet, so warning signs come and go long before a full blockage. The first hint is a brief blackout called a TIA: one side of the face droops, an arm drifts, or words slur for minutes, then clear. Patients often say, “It was weird—then I was fine.” Repeat TIAs follow the same script. The same arm goes weak, the same eye blurs, always on the side fed by the narrow artery. Vision can flicker. A shade... Learn more