Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 16: In a landmark achievement, doctors at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, have performed the first-ever direct vascular bypass surgery-an STA MCA (superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery) bypass-for a patient with ‘Moya Moya’ disease in J&K.
The complex procedure was carried out by a team led by Dr. Nayil Khursheed, Professor of Neurosurgery, and included Dr. Farooq Ahmad Ganie, Associate Professor of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, and Dr. Zulfikar Ali, Additional Professor of Neuroanesthesia.
The surgery lasted six hours and was completed without complications and intra operative assessments confirmed excellent blood flow, and the patient has since been discharged in stable condition.
“Moya Moya disease is rare, seen mostly in East Asian populations, and greatly increases stroke risk due to narrowing of brain arteries,” Dr. Khursheed explained. “This adult patient had already suffered multiple strokes, making direct vascularization the best option.”
Till now, SKIMS had been treating such patients through indirect vascularization techniques such as Encephalo Duro Myo Arterio Synangiosis (EDMAS), which had shown considerable success.
However, direct STA MCA bypass requires intricate microvascular expertise and is available at only a few centers in India.
“This procedure enables immediate augmentation of cerebral blood flow by connecting a healthy vessel outside the brain to a diseased vessel inside,” Dr. Ganie said, calling it “a milestone in neurovascular care in the Valley.”
Director SKIMS, Dr. M. Ashraf Ganie, congratulated the team, noting that “this groundbreaking surgery has put SKIMS on the surgical map of select centers capable of performing such high end procedures with excellent outcomes.”
The department of neurosurgery said it plans to develop educational material for other neurosurgical centers in the region to help build capacity.
“We are committed to pushing the frontiers of neurovascular care and ensuring patients in Jammu and Kashmir have access to cutting edge treatment,” Dr. Khursheed added.
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