Centum General Hospital Successfully Performs Cerebral Vascular Thrombectomy on 82-Year-Old Woman
Acute Cerebral Infarction Means 'Time Is Life'... Recovery Through Prompt Response
Acute cerebral infarction is an emergency condition in which a blood vessel supplying the brain is suddenly blocked, causing damage to brain cells.
If appropriate treatment is not administered within the golden time, it can result in loss of life or serious aftereffects.
Centum General Hospital recently announced the successful performance of endovascular thrombectomy on patient A (female, 82 years old) with acute cerebral infarction. This is significant as it is the first successful thrombectomy since the hospital was upgraded to a general hospital in December last year.
Lee Dong-hyuk, Chief of Neurosurgery at Centum General Hospital, is explaining thrombectomy for acute cerebral infarction patients. Photo by Centum General Hospital
According to the Department of Neurosurgery at Centum General Hospital, patient A visited the emergency room with symptoms of acute cerebral infarction caused by occlusion of the right anterior cerebral artery. At that time, patient A had paralysis in her left leg and was in a confused state, making prompt treatment critical.
Accordingly, Chief Neurosurgeon Donghyuk Lee, in close and rapid collaboration with the emergency medical team, MRI examination room, and angiography room, immediately performed the thrombectomy. Thrombectomy is a complex procedure that involves inserting a special device into the blood vessel to directly remove the thrombus (blood clot). After about two hours of surgery, Dr. Lee removed the thrombus and reopened the blocked vessel. Following the surgery, patient A’s symptoms such as leg paralysis improved relatively quickly, and she is now able to walk independently.
The blocked area of the blood vessel (left) in a patient with acute cerebral infarction and the area where the vessel was opened through thrombectomy. Provided by Centum General Hospital.
Dr. Donghyuk Lee said, “If the surgery had not been performed promptly, the patient might have had to remain bedridden with paralysis symptoms. Considering her advanced age, prolonged bed rest could have led to a life-threatening situation.”
He added, “Seeing the patient overcome a critical phase and regain health gives me great satisfaction. I will continue to do my best to provide hope to patients with cerebrovascular diseases.”
This case once again highlights the importance of treatment within the golden time. It is also regarded as proof of Centum General Hospital’s treatment capabilities for cerebrovascular diseases such as acute cerebral infarction.
Acute cerebral infarction is a condition where time is literally life, making early detection and rapid treatment crucial. If sudden paralysis or numbness occurs in one side of the body, or if speech or visual disturbances arise, one should immediately call 119 and move to the nearest hospital. The sooner treatment begins within the golden time of 3 to 4 hours, the higher the chance of recovery without aftereffects.
Dr. Donghyuk Lee of the Department of Neurosurgery at Centum General Hospital explained, “Previously, the main treatment for acute cerebral infarction was the use of intravenous thrombolytics, but the success rate was low and side effects were severe. Nowadays, the trend is to directly access the blocked vessel and remove the thrombus endovascularly, which has fewer side effects and a higher success rate, making it the mainstream treatment.”
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