China has prohibited surgical treatment for Alzheimer's disease following its use in around 400 hospitals during four years, declaring there is not sufficient high-quality medical evidence to prove it is safe and effective.
The process, referred to as lymphatic-venous anastomosis (LVA), entails linking the patient's lymph vessels with veins located in the vicinity of the neck to hasten the drainage and flow of lymph fluid. The objective is to increase the clearance of damaging brain proteins and decelerate the advancement of the disease.
The National Health Commission stated that it recently discovered that certain medical institutions are performing lymphaticovenous anastomosis, or LVA surgery, on patients who are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
In the wake of the commission's discovery, it made evaluations on the procedure's safety and efficacy, the Commission stated in a notice.
"Our evaluation concludes that there is a lack of evidence from preclinical studies in the use of LVA surgery for Alzheimer's disease treatment," it said, state-run China Daily reported on Friday.
"The procedure remains at an early stage of clinical research with its indications and contraindications yet to be clarified, and there is insufficient medical or health economic evidence attesting to its safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness," the commission added.
Local health officials should direct medical facilities to stop using LVA surgery to treat Alzheimer's disease and ensure proper follow-up for patients.
"When sufficient preclinical evidence is collected, qualified medical institutions can carry out clinical studies under the full deliberation of ethics committees," it added.
The procedure has increased in popularity in recent times, especially over the last year, after the first time it was done in 2021 by a microsurgeon from a private facility in Hangzhou, eastern Zhejiang province.
According to available public data, a total of 382 hospitals in nearly every Chinese province had performed the operation as of June's end, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post said.
Alzheimer's disease – the most common cause of dementia - is a brain disorder that progressively destroys memory and thinking abilities, and ultimately the capability to perform even the simplest functions.
It has also been greeted with doubt, however, as some medical professionals have questioned its basic mechanism and long-term efficacy.
Dr Fan Dongsheng, a professor in the neurology department at Peking University Third Hospital, cautioned that the scientific mechanism of the treatment had not been studied well and was not persuasive currently.
He explained in the Post that the improvements in patients' symptoms that were reported were qualitative and not according to the accepted evaluation system.
Fan appreciated the government's move to suspend the treatment, describing it as "apparently problematic" that numerous hospitals, even small ones, conducted the surgery extensively without sound evidence and had even charged patients for it.
The users of the Chinese social media sites, however, aired their fear that the diagnosed relatives would no longer be able to access the treatment.
“If the patient’s family agrees, I think it’s worth trying because some patients are in a really serious condition and their families are exhausted and desperate,” a person from northeastern Liaoning wrote.
One man reported that his father, who was treated in March, had made a good recovery and now could recognize individuals and take care of himself.
If surgery had the potential to improve patients’ conditions, “most families would choose to give it a try”, he told the Post.
