Brain bypass procedure prevents stroke in man

While bypass surgery is synonymous to the heart, a relatively unknown brain bypass too is a potential life-saving procedure. The doctors at SRM Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS) recently performed the procedure on Manikandan, a 42-year-old man employed in Abu Dhabi.  The man was experiencing frequent paralysis of his left hand and leg over the last few months. 

After tests revealed multiple blocks in the blood vessels connected to the right side of his brain, he was told about a procedure that could prevent subsequent strokes. He was then brought to SIMS, where the procedure was performed by a team of doctors from the neurosurgery department. Talking to DT Next, Dr Roopesh Kumar, Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon, SIMS, said, “In this procedure, a blood vessel running under the skin of the scalp was harvested under microscope. This was stitched to the blood vessel running on the surface of the brain after making a hole in the skull. Great care needs to be taken to execute this procedure as the blood vessels are tiny.” 

After the six -hour procedure, Manikandan recovered steadily and is now doing extremely well. He is back with his family, he added. SIMS has performed around 12 such procedures in the last two years. Dr Roopesh, whose youngest and oldest patients are a one-yearold and 64-year-old respectively, emphasised on the importance of a brain angiogram.

“Stroke is a growing burden in our country and is a leading cause of disability. For those who have had minor episodes of stroke, the diagnostic test is extremely necessary and can help assess the nature of block to determine the treatment procedure. But many doctors only do a scan and start medications. Brain angiogram is yet to evolve in India,” he said. Dr Roopesh also said that brain bypass surgery was still making its way in the list of other major surgeries being performed. He said, “The surgery has been coming up in a big way for the last five years and in India, there are just a few centres that have been carrying it out.”