Recently, physicians at the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, removed a brain tumor from Anantalakshmi, a 55-year-old female patient, through a novel procedure described as a “Awake Craniotomy.” The patient had previously sought treatment at private hospitals but was unable to pay for it. She had been having weakness in her right arm and leg, migraines, fainting, and numbness on the right side of her body. Her left side of the brain has a 3.3 x 2.7 cm tumor that needed to be surgically removed as soon as she was admitted to GGH on September 11.
Using a highly sophisticated neurosurgical method called an awake craniotomy, the patient is kept conscious during the procedure. By using this method, medical professionals can interact with the patient and keep an eye on their brain activity in real time, preventing injury to vital regions including those governing speech, movement, and sensation while the surgery is being performed. In Anantalakshmi’s instance, the surgical team, under the direction of anesthetists and top doctors, kept her awake for the procedure with only a little anesthesia.
In order to deter the patient during the surgery, the physicians screened her favorite comedy film, Adhurs, featuring Jr. NTR and Brahmanandam. While she was engrossed in the humorous parts of the movie, Anantalakshmi was oblivious to the complex surgery being done on her brain. After roughly two and a half hours, the procedure was successfully finished without endangering the nearby nerves.
This was a major turning point for the neurosurgery department at GGH as it was the first Awake Craniotomy conducted there. During such treatments, patients should be kept awake to assure their active participation and to reduce the risk of nerve injury, according to Dr. Lavanyakumari, a member of the medical team. Both Dr. Vijaysekhar, the head of neurosurgery, and Dr. A. Vishnuvardhan, the head of anesthesiology, emphasized the accuracy needed in these procedures, where ongoing patient contact is essential to the result.
Anantalakshmi’s ability to sit up and eat breakfast after the procedure suggests a speedy recovery. It is anticipated that she will leave the hospital in five days. The fact that this surgery went well demonstrates GGH’s capability and gives patients who need sophisticated neurosurgery procedures hope.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
