10-year-old remains awake during brain surgery

A 10-year-old class 5 student underwent surgery for a brain tumour at a city hospital — but was awake during the surgery.

According to a press release, the child, a Bharatanatyam dancer, was brought in to SIMS Hospital with complaints of fits for the last two months. As medication was not solving the issue, a brain scan was done, which revealed a brain tumour in an area of the brain that controlled movement in the left half of her body. The tumour had to be removed — but doctors decided on an ‘awake craniotomy’ — a procedure in which the child would be awake so that her body could be inspected frequently by asking her to move her limbs while the tumour was being removed — as this would serve as a guide to the surgeons, ensuring important nerves to the hand, leg and face are preserved.

Doctors discussed this with the parents and they agreed. The patient too, was counselled.

A team of doctors led by senior consultant neurosurgeon

Roopesh Kumar along with senior neuro-anaesthetist Sudhakar Subramaniam performed the three-hour procedure. The patient was very cooperative and kept moving her left hand and leg as the tumour was removed gradually. To enhance the safety of the procedure, the exact nerves controlling her left leg, hand and left side of face were identified with a procedure known as intra operative neurophysiological monitoring by neurophysiologist Nishanth Sampath. The patients’ uncle who is a doctor was also present during the surgery and encouraging the little girl throughout the procedure.

At the end of the procedure, she was comfortably moving her hands and legs. She was discharged from the hospital after two days.