In this groundbreaking episode of MENA Health Focus, we are joined by Dr. Ossama Mansour, first author of a pivotal study on thrombectomy, and co-author Dr. Nadia Hammami. Together, they dissect the real-world outcomes of thrombectomy for distal medium vessel occlusions (DMVOs) in the Middle East and North Africa, a topic of intense debate in the stroke community.

While recent randomized trials have shown neutral results, what does the data from the front lines of clinical practice in the MENA region reveal? Dr. Mansour and Dr. Hammami will discuss the findings of their multicenter registry analysis, which provides a crucial look at the effectiveness, challenges, and economic implications of this procedure in a diverse healthcare landscape.

Join us as we explore:

•The key differences between real-world outcomes and the results of randomized controlled trials.

•The impact of these findings on current and future stroke treatment protocols in the MENA region.

•The economic realities of DMVO thrombectomy and what they mean for patients and healthcare systems.

•An exclusive look ahead at the new data from the DISTAL study, to be presented at ISC 2026, and what it could mean for the future of stroke care.

This is a must-listen episode for anyone interested in the cutting edge of stroke treatment and the evolving landscape of neurointerventional practice in the MENA region.

Title: Bridging the Gap: The NITA-MENA Study & The Future of Stroke Care

Description: Mechanical thrombectomy is the gold standard for treating acute ischemic stroke, yet access to this procedure varies wildly across the MENA region. The bottleneck? A lack of standardized training pathways.

Host Salma is joined by Prof. Ossama Yassin Mansour, a leading figure in Interventional Neurology, to dissect the NITA-MENA (Neuro-Interventional Training Academy) study.

In this episode, we cover:

• The current landscape of neuro-interventional capacity in the Middle East.
• The objectives of the NITA-MENA study in standardizing fellowship training.
• How creating a structured educational pipeline can directly improve patient outcomes.
• The role of international collaboration in local capacity building.

Join us for a deep dive into the data and the drive behind building a stronger medical workforce.

Title: Epidemiology of Young Stroke in MENA: Findings from the First Multicenter Study

Description: Stroke incidence in young adults (18–45) is rising globally, but until now, the Middle East and North Africa lacked unified data to understand the regional nuances.

In this episode, we host Dr. Amal Al Hashmi to discuss her team's pivotal retrospective study involving nearly 4,000 patients across 16 centers in 9 countries. We analyze the unique epidemiological landscape of the region, challenging the assumption that Western stroke protocols fit all populations.

Key topics discussed:

• Demographics: Analysis of the 65% male predominance among young stroke patients.
• Risk Factor Profiling: The dominance of hypertension (38%) and the high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
• Etiology: Understanding the unusually high rate of Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (10.4%) compared to global averages.
• Cryptogenic Stroke: Addressing the 22% of cases with "undetermined etiology" and the need for advanced diagnostic infrastructure.

Join us for a deep dive into the data that is reshaping how we approach neurology and public health policy in the Arab world.