Woman Undergoes Brain Surgery While Awake At UCH in Ibadan

 

IF you are still in doubt of the expertise of Nigerian medical doctors, maybe this might convince you.

A surgery on a woman’s brain to remove a big tumour was successfully done at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State on Monday.

The brain surgery, which involved Dr Olufemi Adeleye, a brain surgeon and other experts, was carried out while the woman was awake, but sedated but could hear people talk to her.

If a patient is kept awake during the procedure, the surgeon can monitor his or her responses with a simple series of questions and directions, which is where the thumbs-up comes in. Sources at the hospital confirmed that the woman, who is recuperating at the hospital’s intensive care unit is hale and hearty and that her
doctors say she would be discharged to go home few days from now.

It is recalled that the first awake brain tumour surgeries were first carried out at the hospital two years ago.

The operation, which though complex enables the neurosurgeons to remove tumours that would otherwise be inoperable because they are too close to areas of the brain that control vision, language and body movements. The surgery could also result in a significant loss of function, if things go wrong.

Neurosurgeons perform awake brain surgery for tumours that have spread throughout the brain and do not have clear borders. The procedure is performed after the patient’s scalp is numbed and usually with the patient sedated.

The neurosurgeon works very closely with the neuroanesthesiologist. Together, they will decide if awake brain surgery is right for a particular patient, depending on the importance of awake brain surgery in removing the tumour without damaging critical parts of the brain, the patient’s general health and whether the patient will be able to remain calm during the procedure and respond to the neurosurgeon.