A carotid endarterectomy is being considered as a treatment for a patient who has had several TIAs. The nurse explains to the patient that this surgery
a. is used to restore blood to the brain following an obstruction of a cerebral artery
b. involves intracranial surgery to join a superficial extracranial artery to an intracranial artery
c. involves removing an atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid artery to prevent an impending stroke
d. is sued to open a stenosis in a carotid artery with a balloon and stent to restore cerebral circulation