Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed) launched its Comprehensive Neurovascular Center and the Philippine Moyamoya Center, establishing the country’s first dedicated Moyamoya Center and strengthening access to specialized care for patients with cerebrovascular conditions.
The Comprehensive Neurovascular Center is led by Edgardo Juan L. Tolentino, MD, Director of the Makati Medical Center Institute of Neurological, Neurosurgical, and Behavioral Sciences, (M.I.N.D.S.), and co-chaired by Anna Marie B. Sage-Nolido, MD, and Guillermo Victorino T. Liabres, MD. The initiative underscores the importance of collaboration among medical specialists in addressing complex conditions affecting the brain and its blood vessels.
The Philippine Moyamoya Center, meanwhile, is dedicated to advancing awareness and specialized care for Moyamoya disease, a rare condition in which arteries supplying blood to the brain progressively narrow or become blocked. In response, the body develops small, fragile blood vessels to compensate for reduced blood flow. These vessels may resemble a puff of smoke on imaging scans, giving the disease its name, which comes from a Japanese term meaning “puff of smoke.”
As part of the launch program, Si Un Lee, MD, Associate Professor at the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital Neurosurgery Department and Director of its Moyamoya Disease Center, discussed the framework for establishing and developing a Specialized Moyamoya Center. Dr. Liabres also presented an overview of Moyamoya disease in the Philippines, emphasizing the need to improve understanding and awareness of the condition.
The program also featured special messages from the Philippine Neurological Association (PNA), Academy of Filipino Neurosurgeons, Inc. (AFNI), Philippine Academy of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (PAVIN), and Stroke Society of the Philippines (SSP), reflecting the role of collaboration in advancing Neurological and Cerebrovascular care.
Saturnino P. Javier, MD, MakatiMed Interim Co-President & CEO and Medical Director, on the significance of the centers’ launch and the Hospital’s commitment to specialized neurovascular care. “It is worth noting that this is not only the first of its kind in the Philippines but, as I understand it, also the first in Southeast Asia… Beyond the recognition and reputation that this milestone brings, let us not forget that the ultimate beneficiaries are our patients, who will gain access to specialized treatment, appropriate follow-up care, and long-term management.”
Through the establishment of these centers, MakatiMed aims to strengthen its specialized services for patients with complex neurovascular conditions and contribute to greater awareness of Moyamoya disease in the Philippines. The initiative reinforces the value of bringing together medical expertise, collaborative care, and patient education to help address conditions that can have serious and lasting effects on health.
