Stimulate your way back to recovery

Sukumvit Hospital successfully helps stroke patients to a full recovery with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

4.5 hours golden period
No one questions the fact that timely treatment averts permanent disability and death. In the case of stroke and related neural blockage problems, it has been proven that treatment within the first 4.5 hours, more commonly known as the ‘Golden Period’, can help patients make a speedy recovery and resume their lives to total normalcy.

However, not every patient suffering from a stroke is lucky enough to receive such timely treatment. Dr Pannawish Wongwiwattananon, head of Rehabilitation Medicine at Sukumvit Hospital explained that there has been a significant increase in the number of stroke patients left with numbness of the limbs, movementdisorders, and many other problems associated with motor function. According to Dr Pannawish, there is a new treatment that is not only effective but is also non-invasive. This is known as TMS or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

What is TMS?
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. TMS can be used clinically to measure activity and function of specific brain circuits in humans. The most robust and widely accepted use is in measuring the connection between the primary motor cortex and a muscle to evaluate damage from a stroke, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, movement disorders, motor neurone disease, and injuries and other disorders affecting the facial, other cranial nerves and the spinal cord. TMS has been suggested as a means of assessing short – interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) which measures the internal pathways of the motor cortex.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the best way to prevent strokes.

Dr Pannawish Wongwiwattananon
Rehabilitation Medicine

How does it work?
During a TMS session, an electromagnetic coil is placed against your scalp near your forehead. The electromagnet painlessly delivers a magnetic pulse that stimulates nerve cells in the region of your brain involved in mood control and depression. It may activate regions of the brain that have decreased activity in people who have suffered from a stroke.

Repeated stimulation appears to affect how this part of the brain is working, which in turn seems to ease symptoms, as well as improve the mood.

TMS is currently available at Sukumvit Hospital, where a fully trained team is providing this treatment to patients suffering from damage of strokes. Dr Pannawish and her qualified medical team of surgeons treating stroke patients strongly recommend that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the best way to prevent strokes. This means adequate exercise, balanced diet, proper rest, and of course abstention from smoking and other high-risk habits. Last but not the least, it is of utmost importance to rush a stroke patient to the hospital within the Golden Period. It can save both lives and quality of life.

“Sukumvit Hospital, which began operation in 1977, has just completed a major makeover. Not only have they built a brand new building, but the entire team of doctors, specialists, nurses and assistants have all been trained with the singular aim of helping their patients maintain optimum health. Then there are the equipment, state-of-the-art MRIs, Cath labs and myriad of others, so that their specialists have the best available tools for diagnosis and treatment. Conveniently located on Sukhumvit Road with English speaking staff, Sukumvit Hospital is now ready for any emergencies or treatments.”

Sukumvit Hospital
1411 Sukhumvit Road (Ekkamai BTS)
Prakanong nua, Wattana,
Bangkok, Thailand 10110
Tel: 02 391 0011
www.sukumvithospital.com
www.facebook.com/sukumvithospital