PMR/GCA/TIA

[CT-5012]

Two years into PMR/GCA and on 10mg pred last Friday had a floppy left arm for 3 or 4 minutes saw GP on an emergency appointment who said she thought it was a TIA made a request for an appointment at stroke clinic. Appointment arranged by phone for next morning. The doc said there was probably a problem with my right carotid artery, had a Doppler scan, result right carotid artery fit and well but left carotid is narrowed. Given lots of advice and prescription for clopidogrel. (Am allergic to statins) Does anyone out there know why it's the wrong artery?

[Hidden]

Hi,

Are you under a Rheumatologist?

Although patients that don't have GCA can get a narrowed carotid artery I would want all my other large vessels ( aorta etc ) checked out to make sure that there wasn't a problem elsewhere.

[CT-5012 in reply to Hidden]

Yes, have an appointment mid next month will discuss with him, many thanks for your advice.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

If there was a neurological problem causing the left arm to be uncontrolled it would be expected to come from right brain which is supplied by the right carotid (and all vice versa)

strokecenter.org/profession...

So yes - why is the left carotid the problem. Did the u/s look at anything else? Subclavian artery for example? Or maybe there is collateral circulation for the left carotid if it has been narrowed for long and there is another artery causing the problem deeper. MRI time methinks...

But as I read your post - I had exactly the same thought as Keyes...

[CT-5012]

Many thanks for the link and your advice will be discussing this with both rheumy and stroke doc. Just looked at carotid artery think doc was thinking problems with right carotid.