NEW DELHI: Imagine your skin is cut and your skull bone is opened to access the brain while doctors operating upon you keep talking to you. Sounds scary but it proved a lifesaver for a 60-year-old woman from Delhi, who underwent an awake craniotomy, a procedure performed by surgeons of Manipal Hospitals to remove a brain tumour while the patient was awake to avoid brain damage.Following the successful surgery, which was conducted on April 3, the patient is now doing well and recovering. Throughout the surgery, the patient was chanting the Gayatri mantra, doctors said.Dr Anurag Saxena, HOD and Consultant Neurosurgery at HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka, said that the patient was diagnosed with a brain tumour in the “motor speech area” of the brain, which is responsible for speaking and writing. “If the diagnosis got delayed for a month or so, the tumour would have destroyed that area and the patient would have lost her speech,” he added.He further said that the surgery to remove such tumours could often result in loss of speech. To minimize this risk, they performed an awake craniotomy, which is a complex and delicate surgery that requires precision and care, as any mistake during the procedure can result in a lifelong loss of speech for the patient.Dr Saxena said that the brain tumour of the patient was discovered during a routine follow-up PET scan for breast cancer treatment, which was diagnosed two years ago. “There are two types of brain tumours— primary tumours, which are formed by the tissues in the brain itself and do not spread anywhere else in the body, and secondary tumours, also known as metastasis, which travels largely through the blood and form a new tumour in other organs of the body. In this case, it was the secondary tumour, as it was not presented in the previous PET Scan,” Dr Saxena said.“We use a patient computer monitoring system where electrodes are placed on the brain to stimulate specific areas. If the patient suddenly stops speaking, we know that we have reached the motor speech area. After identifying the area, we continue stimulating the brain and removing the tumour. Throughout the procedure, we engage the patient in conversation and ask them to speak. After the tumour is removed, the patient is given painkillers while the skin and bone are stitched back together,” he said. Doctors said, anaesthesia plays a crucial role in ensuring that the patient remains conscious and the right dosage is administered during the surgical procedure. The patient is given anesthesia before the surgery, not to induce unconsciousness, but to relieve pain during the procedure. This is also known as a scalp block. During the surgery, the patient’s face is kept open while only the specific area being operated on is covered. Oxygen is provided to the patient to enable communication during the procedure.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/60-year-old-delhi-woman-gets-new-lease-of-life-after-doctors-perform-brain-surgery-while-keeping-her-awake/articleshow/99965989.cms
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