Nagpur: Achieving a new milestone, the doctors at Super Specialty Hospital (SSH) attached to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) here, successfully removed the brain tumor while the patient remained awake and observed his surgery.In medical terms, it is called as an awake craniotomy and is first of its kind in the known medical history the district.
The entire procedure was performed in one and half hours,while the patient was awake and talking to the anaesthetists and neurosurgeon.He was earlier counseled to react to the instructions like seeing, talking, moving limbs etc during the surgery.The name of the patient was Vijay Nanwatkar (40), hailing from Bhandara district.
Dr Pramod Giri, Professor and head of neurosurgery department told mediapersons here that the tumour was pressing over many important areas of the brain, thalamus and the brainstem and Wermickes.
Hence, instead of performing the surgery in general anaesthesia where the surgeon would not know the effect of the surgery while operating we decided to conduct awake craniotomy, so that we could save all the basic functions of the body.
"It was the only solution for best results," he said.Dr Vali said that the awake craniotomy decreases the cost of drugs heavily as no general anaesthesia drugs, which are very expensive, are used.
It also puts the patient back on the feet immediately after the operation.Dr Lokendra Singh, senior neurosurgeon and director, Dr M Taori Central India Institute of Medical Sciences (CIIMS) who has done quite a few awake craniotomy said, it is heartening to see that awake craniotomy was being done in government set up.
The team of anaesthetists led by Dr Vali included Dr Rajesh Nagmote, Dr Abhay Ganar, Dr Ketki Ramteke, Dr Neha Gedam and Dr Neha Shahane. (UNI)