Nepal Health News, Lalitpur — At Patan Academy of Health Sciences (Patan Hospital), for the first time in Nepal, successful treatment of brain stroke has been performed using neurointervention technology by making an opening in the neck.
This treatment was carried out under the leadership of Dr. Arun Paudel, a neurointerventionist working at Patan Hospital. According to Dr. Paudel, a few days ago, this type of technology was used for the first time in Nepal while treating a male patient suffering from brain stroke.
"For the first time in Nepal, a wire was inserted through the neck to successfully treat brain stroke," said Dr. Paudel. This new technology, called neurointervention, does not require opening the skull.
Dr. Paudel explained that neurointervention eliminates the need for traditional brain surgery, reducing patient pain, shortening hospital stays, and lowering costs. In this procedure, a microcatheter (a small wire) is inserted through a neck artery and guided to the blocked blood vessel in the brain, where the blood clot is removed. According to Dr. Paudel, this treatment is provided to patients with ischemic stroke caused by sudden blockage of blood flow in the brain.
Less invasive and fast-acting treatment
"Since the skull does not need to be opened, patients get significant physical and mental relief," he said. Additionally, hospital stays are shorter, and costs are reduced. While this technology is commonly used in countries like India and the United States, it has been applied in Nepal for the first time. After the successful treatment at Patan Hospital, preparations are underway to regularly offer this technology as a standard service.
New technology, new possibilities
Thousands of people in Nepal suffer from brain stroke every year. Neurointervention technology has shown a ray of hope for effective and less painful treatment of such patients. The successful treatment led by Dr. Paudel indicates that Patan Hospital could develop into a central service hub for neurointervention technology. Health experts say that expanding this technology to teaching hospitals across the country could reduce the need for patients to travel abroad and enable timely life-saving treatments. This is a historic and progressive step in Nepal’s field of neurosurgery and stroke treatment. With the necessary infrastructure, training, and wider access to technology at both government and private levels, a significant transformation in the treatment system seems possible.
