By: Nur Syamila Kamarul Arefin
Photo By: Mozaid Idris
SERDANG, Dec 24 – In Malaysia, stroke is the third cause of death; on average, at least one patient dies every hour from the disease.
Through the latest medical technology, stroke has the potential to be treated using the neurointerventional technique, a treatment procedure that makes a small puncture in the blood vessel in the thigh to perform an angiogram of the blood vessels of the brain.
A lecturer from the Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FPSK), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Prof. Dr. Ahmad Sobri Muda, said the endovascular procedure is done through a small puncture in the blood vessel where a special tool will be inserted to pull out or suck out blood clots that clogged the blood vessel in the brain.
This technique (endovascular thrombectomy) needs to be done quickly and carefully to ensure the patient's safety and increase the chances of recovery," he said when delivering his Inaugural Lecture titled 'Neurointervention' at a lecture hall in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UPM.
He added that the treatment technique could be given within 24 hours after stroke symptoms started based on the imaging information.
"This technique can be an addition to or combined with other treatments which employ the use of blood thinners administered by a neurologist for patients suffering from acute stroke," he said.
Meanwhile, UPM Teaching Hospital (HPUPM) has the neurointerventional expertise to treat stroke at its one-stop centre, the Regional Emergency Stroke Quick (RESQ) Response Unit, which offers services that would continually help stroke-related patients for more than 24 hours depending on the type of treatment. - UPM
