Claiming a rare and remarkable success in the treatment of brain strokes, doctors in a Capital hospital treated two patients successfully.

Brain stroke is generally perceived as a “life altering” event, which leaves a patient with a permanent damage to part of body and mind. However, in a rare case, doctors fully cured two people who had suffered from brain strokes and ensured that they can live normal lives.

A crucial factor in the two cases was ealy detection and medical treatment within few hours of symptoms showing up (also called golden period).

“In both the cases, the patients were observed having difficulty in speaking and understanding, while other bodily functions were near normal. Doctors pointed out that stroke may occur without leading to paralysis or any abnormal behaviour like loss of speech or difficulty in understanding speech.

Emergent treatment within the golden period can prevent damage to brain by restoring the circulation,” said Dr. Vinit Suri, senior consultant, neurology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, and president-elect Indian Stroke Association.
Dr. Suri treated both the patients.

While the first patient recovered significant speech within one hour only with the help of intravenous drugs, the second case involving a 43-year-old patient required removal of the clot through a stent. He was treated in the DSA by interventional neurologist Dr Harsh Rastogi.

In the first case, the patient developed the symptoms – difficulty in speaking and understanding – at his office. While his colleagues could not understand an abnormal change in his behaviour, they decided to rush him to hospital within one-and-a-half hours of the onset of symptoms.

“His first MRI was normal but a second done after minutes revealed an evolving damage in brain. He was given intravenous clot-busting drug and his speech returned within one hour of the drug,” said Dr Suri.

In the second case, the patient again was unable to speak or understand, but his wife realised the seriousness of his condition and rushed him to hospital as she had earlier experienced her grandmother suffer from a stroke.

“MRI showed a complete block of a large vessel supplying blood to the left half of the brain. The patient did not have any improvement with the intravenous drug and was taken for the removal of the clot by a stent introduced into the brain vessel from a leg vessel. As soon as clot was pulled out, he could speak and within 12 hours his speech returned,” he added.