Carotid Artery in Spanish

Where are the carotid arteries?

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) dictionary says there is a carotid artery on each side of the neck and that each one splits into two branches. The interior branch carries blood to the brain and eyes, and the exterior branch carries blood to the face, tongue, and outside parts of the head. MedlinePlus describes the carotid arteries as two large blood vessels in the neck.

Words used with carotid artery

Carotid artery disease is narrowing or blockage of these arteries, usually because of atherosclerosis. A bruit is a whooshing sound that a doctor hears when listening to the artery with a stethoscope; MedlinePlus names it as one sign of the disease. A transient ischemic attack (TIA), which MedlinePlus calls a "mini-stroke," is another sign: it is like a stroke, but it only lasts a few minutes.

Two treatments are named on the same page: carotid endarterectomy is surgery to remove the plaque, and angioplasty is a procedure to place a balloon and stent into the artery to open it and hold it open.

What it means

A carotid artery is a major artery that carries blood from the heart to the head. There is a carotid artery on each side of the neck, and each one splits into two branches. MedlinePlus describes the carotid arteries as two large blood vessels in the neck that supply the brain and head with blood. In carotid artery disease, the arteries become narrow or blocked, usually because of atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque. MedlinePlus calls the disease serious because it can block the blood flow to the brain, causing a stroke. It often does not cause symptoms until the blockage or narrowing is severe, and imaging tests can confirm whether a person has it.

Spanish term: Arteria carótida
Gender and article: feminine: la arteria carótida (plural: las arterias carótidas)
Pronunciation: ahr-TEH-ryah kah-ROH-tee-dah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
carótida	General	The Spanish dictionary enters carótida as an anatomy adjective said of an artery and adds that it is used more as a feminine noun.

Arteria carótida is the form used by the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary and by MedlinePlus en español. It is feminine, and MedlinePlus en español also writes the plural, las arterias carótidas. The Spanish dictionary enters carótida as an anatomy adjective, said of an artery that is one of the two that carry blood to the head on either side of the neck, and adds that it is used more as a feminine noun: la carótida.

MedlinePlus en español calls the disease enfermedad de la arteria carótida and lists estenosis de las arterias carótidas among its other names. The adjective on that page is carotídea, as in endarterectomía carotídea. Related words there: placa (plaque), arterioesclerosis, soplo (bruit), ataque isquémico transitorio (transient ischemic attack) and, for stroke, both derrame cerebral and accidente cerebrovascular.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	I am going to listen to the carotid arteries in your neck with my stethoscope.	Voy a escuchar las arterias carótidas del cuello con el estetoscopio.
Patient	What are you listening for?	¿Qué es lo que busca al escuchar?
Clinician	A whooshing sound called a bruit.	Un silbido que se llama soplo.
Clinician	I would like to order an imaging test of your carotid arteries.	Quisiera pedirle una prueba de imagen de las arterias carótidas.
Patient	My father had a blockage in a carotid artery.	Mi padre tuvo un bloqueo en una arteria carótida.
Patient	Is the narrowing on the right side or on the left side?	¿El estrechamiento está en el lado derecho o en el izquierdo?
Clinician	The test shows plaque in the left carotid artery.	La prueba muestra placa en la arteria carótida izquierda.
Patient	What does carotid endarterectomy mean on this report?	¿Qué significa endarterectomía carotídea en este informe?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Carotid Artery
Spanish (Español)	Arteria carótida
Chinese (中文)	頸動脈
Korean (한국어)	경동맥
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Động mạch cảnh
Filipino (Tagalog)	Karotid na ugat
Portuguese (Português)	Artéria carótida
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	หลอดเลือดแดงคาโรทิด
Japanese (日本語)	頸動脈

Where you'll see it

chartdischarge summarymedical recordsurgical reportoperative note

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Heart and circulation

All terms in this area: Heart and circulation — Corazón y circulación

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.