2020 Diameter of the Common Carotid Artery correlates with Age of Death in a multi‐campus, multi‐year study.

Over the past six years, in a multi‐campus and multi‐year study, we have investigated the relationship of the size of the common carotid artery versus age of death. The common carotid is a paired artery, vitally conducting blood to the head and neck region. With a sample size over 130 human cadavers, we have identified a significant and positive correlation in the diameter of the common carotid arteries versus age of death (p=0.013). Human cadaver ages ranged from 24 to 102 years old. As the diameter of the common carotid artery has been associated with the occurrence and severity of strokes, this finding may provide insight into circulatory‐related procedures in the cervical region or may be indicative of a related genetic predisposition to a higher vascular flow.