New treatment that could reverse stroke symptoms to be introduced by NHS

Doctors say treatment brings patients 'back to life' when they would otherwise have died or been left paralysed

A small tube inserted into an artery in the groin and manoeuvred towards the brain, then the blood clot is either sucked into the tube or pulled out with a small wire (iStock)

A new treatment to reverse the effects of a stroke is reportedly about to be introduced by the NHS.

Draft NHS England policy on the treatment, mechanical thrombectomy, recommends it is implemented in specialist centres across England, The Sunday Times reports.

Doctors have said the treatment brings patients "back to life" when they would otherwise have died or been left paralysed.

The treatment sees a small tube inserted into an artery in the groin and manoeuvred towards the brain. The blood clot is then either sucked into the tube or pulled out with a small wire.

It is said to benefit those with the most severe blood clots, which cannot always be broken down by drug treatments.

Consultant neuroradiologist Sanjeev Nayak, who has pioneered the treatment at the University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust, told the paper: “This is one of the top 10 medical innovations of the last decade.”

Trials of the treatment suggest it can increase the proportion of people who can function independently 90 days after a stroke by between 19 and 35 per cent.

There are more than 100,000 strokes in the UK each year, according to the Stroke association.

It is the fourth single leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the UK. Almost two thirds of stroke survivors leave hospital with a disability.