A young woman undergoing treatment for a heart infection lost her ability to speak and the use of the right side of her body after suffering a stroke. However, timely medical intervention helped her make a complete recovery, doctors said.

The 32-year-old woman from Nadia was admitted to Manipal Hospital EM Bypass in April for treatment of infective endocarditis, a bacterial infection that affects the inner lining and valves of the heart.

“She... required treatment for six weeks. Around four weeks into the treatment, her right side was suddenly paralysed and she lost her speech. She had suffered a stroke. A CT scan revealed there was no haemorrhage, but it indicated the presence of a clot in an artery of the brain,” said Amlan Mandal, head of the department and senior consultant, neurology, adult and paediatric neurology, Manipal Hospital, EM Bypass.

A brain angiogram revealed a long clot in one of the brain arteries that had to be removed.

The patient underwent a mechanical thrombectomy, an advanced minimally invasive procedure used to remove clots from blocked brain arteries and restore blood circulation.

The neurointerventional team achieved complete recanalisation, indicating full restoration of blood flow to the affected part of the brain.

“Mechanical thrombectomy is one of the most advanced and effective treatments for acute ischemic stroke caused by large-vessel occlusion. In this case, the blockage involved a major artery supplying blood to the brain, making immediate recanalisation critical,” said Nirmalya Ray, consultant, neuroradiology, Manipal Hospital EM Bypass, who performed the procedure.

Complete recanalisation within 30 minutes played a decisive role in the patient’s full neurological recovery, Ray said.

“This was a rare and challenging case.... Time was an important factor, and every minute of delay in stroke treatment results in irreversible brain cell loss...,” said Mandal.