Pune, 09 December 2022: In a recent case, doctors at Manipal Hospitals, Baner successfully performed a direct anastomosis surgery on an 8-year-old boy suffering from MoyaMoya disease. The patient was suffering from a series of strokes and weakness on one side of his body for the last 3 years. In one of the major episodes of stroke, he was unable to regain his strength back after which his family rushed him to the hospitals. On diagnosis, it was found that the patient was suffering from MoyaMoya disease, a rare developmental condition that limits the blood supply to both sides of the brain. Considering his condition, Dr. Amit Dhakoji, HOD and Consultant Neurosurgery at Manipal Hospitals, Baner and his team decided to perform a direct vascularization surgery to increase the supply of blood in his brain.
- 8-year-old was successfully treated by performing a direct anastomosis surgery
- Anastomosis Surgery is limited to a very few centres in Pune
MoyaMoya disease is a developmental disorder of brain in which the main blood supply to the brain is reduced due to progressive narrowing of internal carotid artery (main feeder artery for brain). The reason behind this condition is unknown but this condition can lead to a decrease in blood supply, which leads to multiple strokes, and if left untreated, the patient can land up with permanent paralysis. In this case, a direct anastomosis surgery (bypass) was performed to increase blood supply to brain. Such surgeries can be complicated as the recipient arteries were too small for direct bypass.
Commenting on the uniqueness of this case, Dr. Amit Dhakoji, HOD and Consultant Neurosurgery, Manipal Hospitals, Baner-Pune said, “It is important to understand that there is no permanent medical treatment of this condition. To prevent future episodes of strokes, the patients are generally given blood thinners. The only definitive treatment option available for this condition is bypass surgery which can either be direct or indirect revascularization. In this case, the patient was previously admitted in a different hospital where he was scheduled for an indirect surgery. However, seeing the severity of the condition, age of the patient and the frequency of the stroke, he was recommended for direct bypass, which is very rare in Pune. With our well-equipped medical team, we were able to perform a direct surgery and the patient responded well to the treatment. There was no complication post-surgery, and the patient was discharged after 3 days. The boy has recovered and is now leading a happy and normal life. The challenge in this case was small diameter of blood vessel, which is usually superficial temporal artery, located just in front of the ear.”
