Carotid Bruit Sound

A carotid bruit is a vascular sound usually heard with a stethoscope over the carotid artery because of turbulent, non-laminar blood flow through a stenotic area. A carotid bruit may point to an underlying arterial occlusive pathology that can lead to stroke. Stroke is a significant cause of morbidity, mortality, and loss of physical mobility. A large portion of ischemic strokes is due to carotid atherosclerotic plaque; therefore, early detection of carotid disease is central to minimizing stroke incidence. Since auscultation for a carotid bruit is non-invasive, it has been routinely performed during physical exams, especially in patients deemed high risk for cerebrovascular diseases, such as the elderly.

Credit:
Lucerna A, Espinosa J. Carotid Bruit. [Updated 2023 Feb 13]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-.
Image by KamranAydinov on Freepik