This illustration depicts key steps of a carotid endarterectomy, where plaque buildup is removed from the carotid artery. The left image shows the creation of a longitudinal arteriotomy to open the carotid artery, with surrounding anatomy for context. The right images show the technique used to remove the plaque from the artery. To ensure contrast and legibility, all text is above a 4.5:1 luminance ratio, and the color palette accommodates color blindness.