Rare surgery gives new lease of life to 71- year- old woman

Doctors at a city hospital gave new lease of life to a 71- year- old lady patient who was suffering from very tight carotid artery stenosis, in which the brain artery gets narrowed due to the calcification of plaque by using a new technique.

Doctors used this new technique for restoration of brain circulation and prevention of catastrophic stroke by inserting a mesh covered stent with distal brain embolic protection. Explaining the patient’s condition, senior consultant, interventional cardiologist, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Dr N. N. Khanna said, “When she visited us, she complained of dizziness and weakness in the right side of her body from past ten days. The patient had a background history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery ( CABG), Iliac stenting ( angioplasty of leg artery) and permanent pacemaker implantation making the procedure of carotid artery stenting very risky and complicated.”

Talking about treatment Dr Khanna said that in order to treat her, they had performed Carotid Angioplasty with Cerebral Protection on the patient.

“We used a fine Mesh Stent, a latest technique in India used for angioplasty of brain artery for prevention of stroke. The technology was first used in Europe and has recently been introduced inIndia. This is the first operative case here that we performed,” Dr Khanna added.

Explaining the benefits, Dr Khanna said, “Unlike a covered stent, this fine mesh stent allows the blood to flow through it but doesn’t allow cholesterol and other clot particles to go into the brain.