LINKThat's both good news and bad news. The good news is that many patients with blocked brain arteries may be able to avoid the expense and complications of treatment with Coumadin (also known by its generic name, warfarin). The bad news is that despite treatment, more than one in five patients suffers stroke, brain hemorrhage, or death within two years.
Brain artery narrowing -- what doctors call intracranial arterial stenosis -- happens when fatty deposits build up in the blood vessels of the brain, reducing blood flow. It causes about one in 10 strokes and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), also known as ministrokes.