N. Bornstein
Neurology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center – Tel Aviv, Israel

Approximately 13 million deaths per year are caused by vascular diseases, ischemic heart disease and stroke account for 22.3% of the total yearly deaths in the world, 12.2% and 9.7% are due to ischemic heart disease and stroke respectively. Myocardial infarction is the leading cause of long-term mortality in stroke surviving patients, although stroke is the leading cause of disability in the world. Atherosclerotic carotid artery disease is the cause of ischemic ischemic stroke in about 20% of cases.