Patient records
Name: Emily Brown
Age: 42
Nationality: British (London)
Diagnosis: Severe stenosis (90%) in the M1 segment of the right middle cerebral artery, recurrent transient ischemic attacks (TIAs).
Treatment Hospital: Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University—Department of Neurosurgery/Interventional Radiology
Emily is a financial analyst in London, her world a tapestry of precise numbers and rapid decision-making. However, starting a year ago, her brain began to frequently "malfunction." She would suddenly experience weakness in her left limbs and be unable to speak. Although each episode lasted only a few minutes before she recovered, these recurring transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) hung like a Damocles' sword over her head, keeping her constantly in fear. She began to dread meetings, afraid of suddenly becoming "silent" at crucial moments, severely impacting her career and self-confidence.
In the UK, a cerebral angiography revealed a 90% stenosis in her right middle cerebral artery, the culprit behind her recurring brain "shutdowns." Local doctors recommended intracranial artery stenting, but Emily hesitated due to concerns about the long-term restenosis and thrombosis risks associated with the stent. She asked her doctor, "Is there a way to fix the stenosis without leaving anything in my brain?"
our team took over, the case manager knew that for such a young patient with extremely high demands for quality of life, a better solution had to be found. We arranged a remote consultation for her with Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, one of the world's leading centers for cerebrovascular diseases. Through the high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) images we transmitted, experts at Xuanwu Hospital precisely analyzed the nature of the plaque, determining it to be a vulnerable plaque rich in lipids. Based on this, they proposed a more advanced solution: drug-eluting balloon (DEB) dilatational angioplasty.
Before the consultation, our medical consultant explained the ingenuity of this approach to Emily in detail: "Unlike implanting a permanent stent, DEB is like a 'balloon' coated with anti-proliferative drugs. The doctor delivers it to the narrowed area of your brain's blood vessels, inflates the balloon, evenly distributes the medication on the vessel wall, and then removes the balloon. This relieves the narrowing, restores blood flow, and leaves no foreign object in the body, greatly reducing the risk of long-term complications." This explanation perfectly answered Emily's most crucial question.
During the procedure, the surgery was performed under close neurophysiological monitoring. The surgeon carefully maneuvered the microguidewire through the narrowed segment, then precisely positioned the drug-eluting balloon. As the balloon slowly inflated, contrast agent instantly filled the entire middle cerebral artery supply area, completely relieving the stenosis. Throughout the process, neurophysiological signals remained stable, and Emily's neurological function was intact. Our case manager provided real-time updates on the surgery's progress to Emily's family outside the operating room, alleviating their anxiety.
After her diagnosis and follow-up settlement , we established a personalized secondary stroke prevention file for her. After returning to China, Emily regularly uploaded her blood pressure and lipid data through our platform. Six months and one year post-surgery, she underwent CT brain perfusion (CTP) examinations locally, sending the images back to Xuanwu Hospital for remote evaluation. Each time we saw the cerebral blood flow perfusion map showing ample blood supply to her right cerebral hemisphere, we felt incredibly gratified. Emily said she can finally stop fearing her brain "crashing" and regain control of her life.