VietNamNet Bridge - Vinmec Hospital in Hanoi has carried out a stem cell transplant for the treatment of cerebral palsy for a 13-month-old boy from the central province of Thanh Hoa.

After the first injection of stem cells on March 21, the child is now of sound mind. Although he cannot eat and drink normally, the intensity of convulsive fits has reduced.

The patient will be evaluated periodically after three, six and twelve months to know the degree of practical success of this method.

According to the family, at the age of 10 months old, the baby had diarrhea, high fever, convulsive fits and sepsis of an unknown cause. Although the baby was rescued, he suffered from cerebral palsy, convulsion, difficulty breathing and could not sit or crawl.

On March 10, the baby was hospitalized for fever, bronchitis, stiff legs and curled-up arms. After bronchitis treatment, the baby was injected with stem cells for the first time on March 21. The next injection is scheduled on March 28. The patient will be monitored and if it is necessary, stem cell treatment will be repeated for the 3rd and 4th time, combining with physical therapy and rehabilitation methods.

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Liem, Vinmec Hospital’s director, said stem cells are extracted and then injected back into the blood and the spinal cord to replace damaged cells.

This is the first time in Vietnam that stem cell transplantation is used to treat cerebral palsy. The cost for a stem cell transplant in Vietnam is about VND100-VND120 million ($5,000-6,000), 5-6 times cheaper than other countries.

Research works in the world show that the success rate of this method is up to 60-70 percent.

Vinmec Hospital is preparing for the first autism treatment by stem cell transplant. This method has been conducted in India and China. China announced that 70 percent of cases are successful. The US also applied this method but it has not yet announced the official results.

Using stem cells in medicine is considered to be the solution for many incurable diseases such as cancer, Parkinson, heart failure ... Vietnam has applied this method to treat hematological diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, bone marrow failure, marrow disorders, Thalassemia ...

Le Ha