The first vagus nerve stimulation device implantation surgery in Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital successfully performed the first vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) implantation surgery in Vietnam on a patient with drug-resistant epilepsy.

On October 11, at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, a scientific conference was held with the theme "Minimally invasive surgery to treat drug-resistant epilepsy in the new era". The event attracted the participation of more than 100 experts, surgeons and doctors from the fields of neurosurgery, neurology, psychiatry, neurophysiology and anesthesia.

Dr. Truong Thanh Tinh, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, spoke at the conference.

Photo: BVCC

In his opening speech, Associate Professor - Doctor - Doctor Nguyen Minh Anh, Deputy Director of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, emphasized that drug-resistant epilepsy is one of the major challenges of medicine today, seriously affecting the health and quality of life of patients. While medical treatment is still the foundation, there is still a large proportion of patients who do not respond to medication and need surgical intervention. This conference is organized with the goal of creating a forum for the medical team to review practices, update the latest advances and standardize modern, less invasive, safer and more effective surgical solutions, in order to bring a better life to patients.

In the professional reports, many important issues were discussed, from optimizing medical treatment, updating traditional epilepsy surgery techniques, to introducing advances in minimally invasive surgery. One of the highlights of the conference was vagus nerve modulation (VNS), a method using an implanted device to electrically stimulate the vagus nerve, thereby regulating brain activity and reducing the frequency and severity of epileptic seizures. This is considered a potential direction for drug-resistant epilepsy cases, when the procedure is highly safe, minimally invasive, has a quick recovery time and can especially be expanded to many different groups of patients.

At the conference, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City successfully performed the first vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) implantation surgery in Vietnam on a patient with drug-resistant epilepsy. The patient was a 17-year-old male with epilepsy that had been on for 15 years. Despite medical and surgical treatment, epileptic symptoms still appeared 5-10 times a day. At the conference, the surgery was demonstrated directly using the VNS method, minimally invasive with a small incision and little blood loss. Delegates had a visual overview of the entire technical process, from preparation, anesthesia, surgery to device installation.

Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital successfully performed the first vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) implantation surgery in Vietnam on a patient with drug-resistant epilepsy.

Photo: BVCC

Dr. Truong Thanh Tinh, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, emphasized that the event not only marked an important step forward in epilepsy treatment in Vietnam but also opened up a long-term development orientation for the domestic neurosurgery industry.

In addition to the outstanding advantages, experts also pointed out the challenges in widely deploying the technique, from treatment costs to equipment and human resource requirements. However, this conference has opened up opportunities for medical facilities to strengthen cooperation, training and technology transfer, helping patients at many levels to have access to modern methods.

According to Dr. Truong Thanh Tinh, in the next 5-10 years, the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy will witness strong development thanks to the combination of minimally invasive surgery with advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and new generation neural devices, opening a new era of more comprehensive treatment for patients.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phau-thuat-cay-thiet-bi-kich-stimulate-day-than-kinh-phe-vi-dau-tien-tai-viet-nam-185251011204033348.htm