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CC BY 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2025; 52(04): 247-252
DOI: 10.1055/a-2627-9243
Extremity/Lymphedema
Case Report

Potential Role of Lymphovenous Bypass in Mitigating Alzheimer's Disease Dementia

Qingping Xie 
1   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Hangzhou Qiushi Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
,
Changsik John Pak 
2   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Seoul Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)
,
Jingeun Kwon 
2   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Seoul Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)
,
Sung-Chuan Chao 
3   Department of Traumatology, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
,
Joon Pio Hong 
2   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Seoul Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)
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Abstract

This case report explores the therapeutic potential of lymphovenous bypass (LVB) surgery performed at the neck in neurodegenerative diseases, specifically Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. The subject is a 58-year-old woman who was previously healthy but began experiencing unexplained memory decline and frequent disorientation in the past 7 years, leading to an AD diagnosis. Despite ongoing pharmaceutical therapy, her symptoms progressed to severe dementia accompanied by behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Her Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores were both 0/30, and 18F-AV-45 PET/CT revealed abnormal brain amyloid load. For salvage therapy, she underwent LVBs on her neck bilaterally. Postoperatively, she got better MMSE and MoCA scores with dramatic improvement in communication and activity. 18F-AV-45 PET/CT scans 4 months after surgery indicated a reduction in abnormal brain amyloid deposits. This case report highlights the potential effectiveness of LVB surgery in reducing brain amyloid load and attenuating cognitive impairment and BPSD. Further research with animal experiments and clinical trials is necessary to confirm these findings.

Keywords

Alzheimer's disease - dementia - behavioral and psychological symptoms - brain lymphatics - lymphovenous bypass

Authors' Contributions

Q.X. initiated the idea, conducted the surgery and participated in collecting data. S.-C.C. analyzed data, drafted the manuscript and as a corresponding author. C.J.P. and J.K. contributed conceptual discussion. J.P.H. supervised the project and helped to revise the manuscript. The authors read and approved the final manuscript.


Ethical Approval

This data collection, including chart review and photo/video recording, was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB #000005).


Patient Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to inclusion in the study.




Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 01. Januar 2025

Angenommen: 29. Mai 2025

Accepted Manuscript online:
13. Juni 2025

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
23. Juli 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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