how uncommon is it to be born without one of your carotid arteries??? ....and how serious is a small arachnoid cyst on the brain?...any help is appreciated. thanks so much!
2006-12-14 11:37:29 · 4 answers · asked by heretohelp 2 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
my right carotid artery is bigger than normal and it is compensating for the other side....they said it is extremely rare, but i was just looking for a statistic? i cant find a thing online
2006-12-14 12:37:26 · update #1
When you study human anatomy, you would learn that we all are different. For example there are about 150 different shapes of stomachs, and many many variations in how our arteries run. It is likely rare for a congenital absence of one major artery, but your body has compensated by enlarging the other. The other poster is completly incorrect about only half your brain getting blood. The brain is rich in collateral circulation. This means there are alternate pathways for complete blood circulation so your brain is enjoying a complete blood supply. In fact I will bet that the only reason you even know you are missing an artery is that they were looking for some other condition and found it. On many anomlies the incidental finding is the norm. I hope they take care of the cyst and you will live a long and normal life.
2006-12-14 14:34:52 · answer #1 · answered by mr.answerman 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have NEVER seen a carotid artery missing due to a developmental problem..... and I have never seen it in the literature. It would be very rare indeed. Missing a carotid would mean that one half of the head / brain was not receiving oxygenated blood ... unless compensatory circulation developed. ANY cyst on the brain is serious....generallyl speaking, cysts are not cancerous....but they pose a problem inasmuch as they can put pressure on brain tissue if they grow....and this can be very serious indeed.
2006-12-14 20:31:01 · answer #2 · answered by levatorlux 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a friend who had a cyst on the brain, it was removed and a drain shunt put in to keep it from refilling. It's not serious unless it grows and puts pressure on the brain and starts hurting, it can cause seizures. If it's not bothering you I'd leave it alone. I'm not sure about the arteries, that sounds rare.
2006-12-14 19:52:15 · answer #3 · answered by Tina of Lymphland.com 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
being born without one of the carotid arteries would mean only half the brain is getting oxygen,so that would be a very bad thing
2006-12-14 20:35:46 · answer #4 · answered by charmel5496 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋