The combination of neck surgery with intense speech therapy is associated with a more improvement in a person’s ability to communicate a person’s ability to communicate after a stroke compared to intensive speech therapy alone, published by a clinical test published by a stroke, compared to intensive speech therapy alone, BMJ Today.

The results show improvement immediately after surgery without any long-term severe adverse events or permanent discomfort, as well as reported the quality of life and improvement in post-stores depression in six months.

Stroke is the most common cause of creator (problems with communication, including speaking, understanding, reading and writing others). More than 60% of the patients are affected for one year, called chronic post-stroke creator.

Intensive speech and language therapy (ISLT) is a standard treatment for chronic post-stroke creator, but it is not clear that a combination of a type of neck surgery called C7 Neurotomy (NC7) and ISLT can be more effective.

To find out, researchers in China identified 50 patients between the ages of 40 to 65 years, which affecting the left side of the brain after a stroke affecting the brain for more than a year after a year with coverage in their right hand and the stiffness of the muscles, which is responsible for the language.

Participants, who all used to speak fluent sugar before their stroke, were assigned to obtain ISLT (intervention group) or 3 weeks ISLT alone (control group) with randomly surgery.

The main measure of interest was a change in testing in 3, one and six months in the Boston Naming Test (BNT) score (the ability to draw everyday items). Others included changes in the severity of covenant and the patient reported the quality of daily life and depression.

The results suggest that the intervention group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in all measured results compared with control.

In 1 month, the average increase in BNT score was 11.16 points in the intervention group and 2.72 points in the control group (difference: 8.51 points). This increase in language function remained stable at 6 months (difference: 8.26 points).

The control group (differences at a month 7.06 points) and daily life patient-reported activity and post-stroke depression also led to more improvement in the intervention group than the control group than the control group.

No surgery or procedure related to serious adverse incidents was reported in 6 months.

The author admits that the participants were relatively young, mostly men, and all native Chinese speakers, who limit the generality of their findings, and say that an extended follow -up study is required to verify the performance of patients for a long time.

However, they conclude that NC7 Plus 3 weeks intensive SLT is a better treatment for chronic post-stroke covenant compared to intensive speech and language therapy “and” can benefit patients in the quality of daily life and post-stroke depression. “

This test is an interesting step, in a linked editorial, in the neurological institute of Thailand, called Dipatana Chatromine.

Some caution, however, is warrant, she says, but if more evidence supports these conclusions, they offer a glimpse of hope for people with old strokes that meet the appropriate norms.

“Although intensive SLT covenant remains the cornerstone of treatment, the C7 neurotomy can become a possible accessory option for carefully selected individuals in the future,” she writes. “This research should make a significant re -evaluation of rehabilitation paradigms and policies for further scientific research and chronic stroke care, which promotes a more optimistic and active outlook for long -term recovery.”