New Alzheimer’s surgery potential: 'My mother’s memory is stabilizing and improving'

By Alpana Mohta, MD, DNB, FEADV, FIADVL, IFAAD | Fact-checked by Barbara Bekiesz
Published January 23, 2025

Key Takeaways

Industry Buzz

  • “While enhancing lymphatic drainage is promising, more rigorous trials are essential before adopting this widely.” — Alok Mohta, MD, MBBS

  • “My mother's memory is stabilizing and improving, and she is able to complete household chores every day.” — Daughter of Alzheimer’s patient, General Psychiatry

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“My mother's memory is stabilizing and improving, and she is able to complete household chores every day,” reported the daughter of a patient who underwent a novel surgical procedure aimed at addressing Alzheimer's disease (AD).[]

Chinese scientists have reported promising results from a novel procedure designed to enhance the brain's ability to clear the harmful proteins associated with AD.[] Termed "cervical shunting to unclog lymphatic systems" (CSULS), this minimally invasive surgery aims to bypass glymphatic blockages by connecting cervical lymphatic vessels to veins.

The approach uses super-microsurgical techniques to promote cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage, potentially expediting the removal of amyloid-beta and tau proteins that are hallmarks of AD.

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A first-of-its-kind approach

The initial case, detailed in General Psychiatry, involved a 70-year-old woman with significant cognitive decline confirmed through advanced imaging and clinical assessments.[] PET scans showed amyloid and tau accumulation alongside medial temporal lobe atrophy, establishing the biological basis of her Alzheimer's diagnosis.

The CSULS surgery was performed by decompressing the lymphatic trunk. The surgery connected lymphatic vessels in the neck to nearby veins, creating a new pathway to facilitate CSF flow. This minimally invasive surgery aims to accelerate the clearance of toxic protein aggregates that impair cognitive function by relieving blockages in the glymphatic system.

At 5 weeks post-surgery, clinical assessment scores showed improved cognitive function:

  • Mini-mental status examination: from 5 to 7 points.

  • Clinical dementia rating—sum of boxes: from 10 to 8.

  • Geriatric depression scale: from 9 to 0.

Brain imaging corroborated these changes, revealing reduced tau accumulation and enhanced glucose metabolism, particularly in the right temporal lobe.

The road ahead

While these findings suggest potential, experts advise restraint in declaring this a breakthrough.[] Physician Alok Mohta, MD, MBBS, tells MDLinx, “Once cortical damage occurs, regeneration is highly unlikely. While enhancing lymphatic drainage is promising, more rigorous trials are essential before adopting this widely.”

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