NSI 2025: Dr. Mohana Rao Patibandla's Groundbreaking Series On Intraventricular Brain Tumor Surgery

At NSI 2025, Dr. Mohana Rao Patibandla shared findings from India's first large series on parafascicular intraventricular brain tumor surgery, showcasing successful outcomes and minimal complications.

NSI 2025: Dr. Mohana Rao Patibandla Presents India’s First Large Series on Parafascicular Intraventricular Brain Tumor Surgery

At the Neurological Society of India (NSI) 2025 annual conference, a presentation from Guntur quietly marked a potential inflection point in how intraventricular brain tumors may be approached surgically in India. Senior neurosurgeon Dr. Mohana Rao Patibandla presented a 51-case consecutive series of parafascicular intraventricular tumor resections, making it the first and largest reported Indian experience with this technique to date. The series, spanning both pediatric and adult patients, examined outcomes using a minimally invasive parafascicular corridor—an approach that deliberately avoids traditional cortical transgression.

Why the Technique Matters

Intraventricular tumors remain among the most technically demanding lesions in neurosurgery. Conventional transcortical or transcallosal routes, while effective, are associated with risks related to cortical injury, white matter disruption, and postoperative neurological deficits—particularly in children. The parafascicular approach, popularized internationally only in recent years, leverages natural white-matter corridors and tubular access systems to minimize approach-related injury. Until now, Indian data on this method has been sparse. The NSI 2025 presentation addressed that gap.

Key Observations from the 51-Case Series

According to the data presented: The series included tumors of the lateral, third, and fourth ventricles Both pediatric and adult patients were treated using a standardized minimally invasive strategy High rates of gross or near-total resection were achieved Approach-related morbidity was low, with encouraging functional preservation Blood loss and operative times were favorably controlled despite lesion depth Importantly, the presentation focused not on novelty alone, but on reproducibility, safety, and functional outcomes, aligning with contemporary neurosurgical priorities. First Adoption in India While parafascicular intraventricular surgery has been reported from select centers internationally, Dr. Patibandla’s work represents the first documented adoption and sustained use of this technique in India, with the largest single-surgeon dataset currently available. Conference delegates noted that the significance of the series lies less in individual achievement and more in what it signals: that advanced, function-preserving neurosurgical strategies can be implemented consistently outside a handful of global institutions.

Academic Rather Than Promotional

Unlike many technology-driven presentations, the NSI 2025 session maintained a measured academic tone. The discussion emphasized: Patient selection criteria Learning curve considerations Limitations of sample size The need for longer-term neurocognitive outcome data Such framing positioned the work as a foundational Indian dataset, rather than a definitive endpoint.

Broader Implications

As neurosurgery continues to move toward minimally invasive, anatomy-respecting approaches, indigenous clinical series become essential for shaping national guidelines, training paradigms, and patient counseling. The 51-case parafascicular intraventricular tumor series presented at NSI 2025 may therefore be remembered less as a singular milestone and more as the starting reference point for this technique in India.

About the Presenter

Dr. Mohana Rao Patibandla is a senior neurosurgeon based in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, and the Founder–CMD of Dr. Rao’s Hospital. He has over two decades of experience in brain and spine surgery, with advanced training in minimally invasive neurosurgery, pediatric neurosurgery, skull base surgery, and functional neurosurgery in India and the United States.