Gulshakhnoza Mukhammadieva’s clinical research is transforming outdated surgical protocols into safer, less invasive solutions and bringing them into everyday stroke care
Every three minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from a stroke. For millions more, stroke becomes the beginning of a long, arduous journey marked by speech loss, limited mobility, or permanent disability. According to the American Heart Association’s 2025 update, over 7 million stroke survivors in the U.S. live with lasting impairments, and about 25% of all ischemic strokes are linked to one silent culprit: carotid artery stenosis.
But here’s the good news: this condition is both detectable and treatable — and thanks to medical advances, the way we treat it is evolving fast. One of the people helping drive that evolution is Gulshakhnoza Mukhammadieva — a promising vascular surgeon, researcher, and recipient of the Aripov Merit Scholarship, one of the highest honors awarded by Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Health for scientific contributions. Her clinical work on stroke prevention has been published and adopted by local hospitals and recognized by national media and scientific journals, where she now serves as a peer reviewer.
So what exactly is carotid artery stenosis, and why does it matter so much in stroke prevention?
What Is Carotid Artery Stenosis?
Your carotid arteries are the main highways delivering blood from the heart to the brain. When plaque buildup narrows these arteries (a condition called atherosclerosis), it creates a traffic jam. Blood flow is restricted, and even a small clot can cause a massive disruption—in this case, a stroke.
The main problem of this illness is that it often has no symptoms. You might feel perfectly fine until a transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke) or full stroke occurs. People at higher risk include those with:
- High blood pressure or high cholesterol;
- A history of smoking;
- Diabetes;
- A family history of cardiovascular disease.
Routine screenings, especially for people over 60 or with risk factors, can detect narrowing early, before a crisis happens.
Surgical Treatment: Then and Now
For decades, the standard surgical treatment was carotid endarterectomy — a procedure where a surgeon opens the neck, removes plaque from the artery, and stitches it closed. It’s still widely used and effective, but comes with risks, particularly for patients with other health conditions.
“Because it’s an open surgery near the brain, there’s always a risk of stroke during the procedure itself,” explains Gulshakhnoza. “In some patients, especially those with heart disease or advanced age, the recovery can be longer and more complicated — we have to weigh those risks carefully.”
With these risks in mind, researchers and surgeons worldwide have been working on safer alternatives. This newer, minimally invasive technique uses a catheter inserted through the groin or wrist to reach the artery and place a stent. No large incisions. No direct removal of plaque. Just improved blood flow and faster healing.
“We wanted to show that the less invasive option wasn’t just safer — it could be life-changing for higher-risk patients,” says Gulshakhnoza Mukhammadieva.
As part of her master’s studies at the Tashkent Medical Academy, Gulshakhnoza conducted a comparative clinical study with patients, half treated with traditional open surgery, the other half with the endovascular approach.
For Gulshakhnoza, this wasn’t just a technical study — it was a chance to change the standard of care for people who couldn’t afford to wait. Her findings were clear:
- Patients who underwent endovascular procedures had fewer complications;
- They experienced shorter hospital stays;
- And overall, their recovery was smoother and faster.
“Clinical data is important,” she says, “but real impact happens when that data changes someone’s decision at the bedside.”
Notably, the study was so well received that the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center for Surgery named after Academician V. Vakhidov, Uzbekistan’s leading institution in vascular surgery, formally adopted her protocol, integrating the approach into its routine care for stroke risk patients. For a young researcher, that kind of clinical translation is rare — and speaks to the quality of her work.
Her work has been featured in national health media, including the women’s newspaper Sogdiana, the clinical magazine Pediatr, and Uzbekistan’s national radio, where she discusses the importance of early intervention and innovation in stroke prevention.
“When we talk about innovation in medicine, we often think about devices or robots,” she says. “But sometimes, the biggest breakthrough is simply asking if there’s a better way to treat people — and being willing to prove it.”
Why This Matters for You
If you or someone you love has risk factors for stroke — like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, or a family history of cardiovascular disease — it’s worth asking your doctor about carotid artery screening. A simple ultrasound can detect narrowing in the arteries long before symptoms appear.
And if treatment is needed, it’s important to know that you may have options. While open surgery has long been the standard, many patients today are eligible for minimally invasive procedures like endovascular stenting, especially those with other health concerns that make recovery from traditional surgery more difficult.
“I always tell patients: don’t wait for symptoms. Ask your doctor whether you should be screened for carotid artery disease. And if treatment is needed, talk through all the options — including what the risks and recovery might look like in your specific case,” Gulshakhnoza recommends.
As stroke remains one of the top causes of long-term disability, innovations like this give patients — and doctors — more room to act early, and act wisely.
We’re living in a time when the old rules of surgery are being rewritten. Minimally invasive procedures are changing what’s possible — and they’re often backed not by global companies, but by passionate doctors working in hospitals and labs around the world.
