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CONTROVERSIAL procedure that \u2018replumbs\u2019 the brain to \u2018flush out toxic proteins\u2019 could stop dementia in its tracks \u2013 or even reverse it \u2013 scientists claim. \n\n\n\nMore than 2,000 people in China have undergone the experimental surgery, known as deep cervical lymphatic-venous anastomosis (dcLVA), to treat Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\n\n\nThe technique was pioneered by Qingping Xie (right), shown with surgeon Wei Chen (left) at the Cleveland Clinic Credit: ANQI XIE\n\nFor people who experienced multiple falls, the risk increased to 74 per cent\n\n\nA jaw dropping video of an 84-year-old dementia patient who underwent dcLVA in 2020 sparked \u201ca frenzy of this surgery being performed left and right\u201d, according to Nature. \n\n\n\nAt first shown slumped and unresponsive in his hospital bed, subsequent clips show the man alert, walking and talking six months after the op. \n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for The US Sun newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you!\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\n\n\n\nIt involves connecting tiny lymphatic vessels in the neck \u2013 part of the drainage system that carries waste away from the brain- to nearby veins, supposedly allowing fluid and waste proteins that cause dementia to flow more easily into the bloodstream.\n\n\n\nBut the procedure, which at one point was being offered by hundreds of Chinese hospitals, was last year banned in settings outside of clinical studies, over concerns about the lack of evidence on safety and effectiveness.\n\n\n\nMeanwhile, its pioneer \u2013 microsurgeon Qingping Xie, president of the Qiushi Hospital in Hangzhou \u2013 was detained by Chinese authorities in December for undisclosed reasons. \n\n\n\nNow, studies utilising the technique are underway around the world. \n\n\n\nMore than 20 clinical trials under way on this surgery in China. \n\n\n\nIt\u2019s also being investigated in the US and Singapore \u2013 where four people have had the operation.\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMost read in Health\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\n\n\nBut dementia experts remain divided as to whether the surgery actually works. \n\n\n\nYoung-Kwon Hong, a lymphatics researcher at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, told Nature: \u201cThe concept is scientifically valid and biologically plausible.\u201d\n\n\n\nHowever, he added that he worries that \u201chype\u201d around the technique has outpaced evidence.\n\n\n\nMeanwhile, Robert Howard, a professor of old age psychiatry at University College London, told the Daily Mail that close examination of the data reveals the benefits\u00a0of the surgery are tiny.\n\n\n\nThe technique borrows from lymphatic venous anastomosis (LVA), a type of treatment that is already widely used on the NHS to tackle lymphoedema, swelling of the arms and legs due to a build-up of fluid.\n\n\n\nTo carry out this procedure, surgeons make a tiny incision in a patient\u2019s armpit before stitching the lymph vessel that\u2019s full of fluid to a nearby vein \u2013 allowing the excess fluid to drain into the bloodstream.\n\n\n\nA similar process is followed for dcLVA, where surgeons make a small incision in the neck. \n\n\n\nThe surgeon then cuts into the deep cervical vein \u2013 which drains blood from the neck \u2013 and connects it to the lymphatic vessel that runs alongside it. \n\n\n\nThe operation takes about two hours.\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s based on the premise that there are lymph vessels that are hidden plumbing keeping the brain clean. \n\n\nIt involves making an incision in the lymph vessels in the neck to supposedly clear the brain of toxic proteins Credit: Getty\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThe early stages of dementia\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\nDEMENTIA is not a single condition. It is caused by different physical diseases of the brain \u2013 like Alzheimer\u2019s, vascular dementia and DLB.\nMore than 944,000 people in the UK currently have it. And no matter the type, it affects everyone differently.\nThe first signs of it are often mild and easy to brush off, but can include:\n\nMemory problems (e.g. being unable to recall recent events or losing keys)\nPlanning and thinking difficulties (e.g. finding complex decisions about finances hard)\nLanguage and communication trouble (e.g. struggling to find the right word)\nPoor orientation (e.g. getting lost easily in familiar areas)\nVisual-perceptual difficulties (e.g. problems judging distances)\nChanges in mood or emotion (e.g. feeling anxious or frightened or getting easily upset)\n\n\u201cMany people at the early stage of dementia stay largely independent and only need a bit of assistance with daily living,\u201d Alzheimer\u2019s UK says.\n\u201cIt is important to focus on what the person can do and not to take over and do things for them.\n\u201cInstead, try doing things with them, for example helping the person develop a routine, reminder lists and prompts, and use technology.\u201d\nBecause dementia is progressive, it gets worse over time, usually over several years. Experts generally think of it in three stages:\n\nEarly stage (mild)\nMiddle stage (moderate)\nLate stage (severe)\n\n\u201cThese stages can be used to understand how dementia is likely to change over time, and to help people prepare for the future,\u201d the charity adds.\n\u201cThe stages also act as a guide to when certain treatments, such as medicines for Alzheimer\u2019s disease, are likely to work best.\u201d\nMost people who develop dementia are over the age of 65. Anyone diagnosed before this is considered to have young-onset dementia, which affects about 70,800 people in the UK.\u00a0\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\nIf clogs in that plumbing contribute to disease, then fixing the flow might help to treat conditions like Alzheimer\u2019s.\n\n\n\nThe idea of flushing toxic proteins out of the brain also works similarly to blockbuster Alzheimer\u2019s drugs such as lecanemab and donanemab. \n\n\n\nHowever, these drugs aren\u2019t available on the NHS as they were deemed to have limited benefits while causing dangerous side-effects like brain bleeds.\n\n\n\nIn a new study conducted at Xi\u2019an Fengcheng Hospital in Shaanxi, China, 83 patients with advanced dementia were operated upon. \n\n\n\nResearchers claimed there were \u201csignificant\u201d improvements to their condition.\n\n\n\nIn the nine months after the surgery, there was a significant improvement in blood flow to the brain.\n\n\n\nMeanwhile, 40 per cent of the patients improved their scores on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), which measures\u00a0attention, recall and language, after the surgery. \n\n\n\nWriting in the Journal of Alzheimer\u2019s Disease last month, the researchers said: \u201cAll the patients exhibited enhanced alertness and vitality, characterised by increased responsiveness and improved engagement.\n\n\n\n\u201cAttention and executive functions [such as memory and planning] also significantly improved, enabling more effective interaction with caregivers.\u201d\n\n\n\nSide-effects, they said, were mild, mostly involving temporary wound pain at the surgery site.\n\n\n\nBut UK dementia experts remain sceptical. \n\n\n\nProf Howard said: \u201cIn the study, the MMSE scores increased from an average of 3.01 to just 4.45.\u201d\n\n\n\nThirty is the maximum. \n\n\n\n\u201cSo even after surgery, these patients were still severely impaired by their dementia,\u201d he added. \n\n\n\n\u201cAlso, everybody knew they were getting the real surgery, rather than a sham procedure, which means any increase is probably due to the placebo effect.\u201d\n\n\n\nEven if the surgery does have a positive effect, he said, it may well be short-lived as whatever is driving the production of amyloid proteins has not been addressed.\n\n\t\n\n2 comments2" ], "output": "readability", "pwd": "/data/archive/1788818410.020288", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-12T07:16:41.421435+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "screenshot": [], "singlefile": [], "title": [ { "cmd": [ "curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--max-time", "120", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; 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