Authorities ban use of LVA surgery to treat Alzheimer's

China's top health authority has banned the use of a minimally invasive surgical procedure to treat Alzheimer's disease.

The procedure, which is still undergoing clinical research, connects neck lymphatic vessels to adjacent veins to enhance the brain's lymphatic clearance system.

The National Health Commission said, in a notice released on Tuesday, it has recently learned that some medical institutions are conducting lymphaticovenous anastomosis, also known as LVA surgery, on patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Following the commission's discovery, it conducted assessments on the procedure's safety and efficacy.

"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.

"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 authorities are advised to instruct medical institutions to halt treating Alzheimer's disease with LVA surgery and guarantee proper follow-up care for affected patients.

"When sufficient preclinical evidence is collected, qualified medical institutions can carry out clinical studies under the full deliberation of ethics committees," it added.

LVA surgery has been primarily used to treat lymphedema, a disease that can cause an accumulation of fluid and the painful swelling of limbs.

The technique's potential in treating Alzheimer's disease — a condition linked to a buildup of toxic proteins in the brain — builds on the notion that by making a connection between a lymphatic channel and a vein, the clearance of cerebral metabolic waste will be enhanced and thus progression of the disease will be slowed down.

The Chinese PLA General Hospital in Beijing said in a statement released in June that it successfully performed LVA surgery on an 80-year-old woman with severe cognitive impairment.

She was unable to recognize her family members and relied entirely on others for daily activities. "Since undergoing the surgery, the elderly patient has shown significant improvements in memory. She can not only accurately say relatives' names and occupations, but also engage in daily conversations," said the hospital.

A hospital in Lu'an, Anhui province, said last month that it had already carried out over 50 LVA surgeries on patients with Alzheimer's disease. A hospital in Dalian, Liaoning province, said that the procedure at their facility costs about 20,000 to 30,000 yuan ($2,750 to 4,130) out-of-pocket, but is priced at over 200,000 yuan at some hospitals.

According to an article released by neurologists from Renji Hospital in Shanghai in the peer-reviewed journal General Psychiatry, no other country has reported clinical applications or clinical trials of LVA for Alzheimer's disease treatment so far.

"The increasing adoption of LVA surgery highlights the urgent demand for effective Alzheimer's disease treatments. Patients and their families are desperate for more effective treatments, as illustrated by the proliferation of this unproven treatment in China," it said.

China has nearly 17 million people living with dementia, with Alzheimer's disease as the most prevalent condition.

The number of people with Alzheimer's disease is estimated to reach 19.1 million by 2030 as the population continues to age rapidly.