Brain tumour removed by endoscopy

Bangalore, Feb 23 (UNI) The Neurosurgery team of Wockhardt Hospitals has achieved a breakthrough by successfuly removing a brain tumour from a 40-year-old woman, using minimally invasive surgery technique through endoscope.

Addressing a press conference here today, hospital Neurosurgeon Dr Deshpande V Rajkumar said that for the first time in the country, a two-cm-large brain tumour on the optic nerve between the pituitary gland and the brain was successfully removed using a four mm endoscope, guided through the patient's nose cavity.

He said the complex surgery demanded exceptional skill and specialised equipment. While endoscopes have been previously used for brain surgeries related to cavities within the brain and occasionally to remove tumours from the pituitary gland through the nose, this was the first reported case in the country where an endoscope was used to remove a brain tumour without an open surgery.

Dr Rajkumar said that as the tumour was positioned on the right optic nerve, it was hampering the patient's vision and the conventional surgery method posed a threat of injury to the brain.

''Through this new technique, incisions on the skin and scalp are completely avoided and there is a high potential for less injury and faster recovery.'' He said this technique had reduced the surgery cost approximately by about 30 per cent than the conventional surgery. The patient, a teacher, had returned home and was attending to her work.

UNI