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New Delhi: In an unprecedented medical feat, a team of neurosurgeons at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi successfully performed surgery on the brain tumor of a five-year-old girl while she remained conscious. The young patient, who had a history of seizures and tumors near the speech and language areas of the brain, is now the youngest person in the world to undergo such a procedure and is doing well after surgery.
The surgical team used several advanced technologies such as preoperative functional MRI, intraoperative ultrasonography and neuronavigation to precisely locate and size the tumor. A technique called awake craniotomy was used, allowing surgeons to remove the tumor while the patient remained conscious and interacting with the team throughout the procedure. This method enables doctors to monitor functional areas and preserve them better.
The surgery lasted three hours, including time taken for giving local anaesthesia to the child by neuroanaesthetists. The tumour was removed successfully by a team of neurosurgeons as she remained conscious throughout the procedure.
The complex operation was a team effort involving a neuroanesthetist who administered local anesthesia and a team of neurosurgeons who performed the surgery. Dr Deepak Gupta, Professor of Neurosurgery with his team, and the Neuroanesthesia team led by Dr Mihir Pandia and Dr Gyanendra Pal Singh led this unprecedented operation.
The cooperation of the young patient was also paramount in the success of the operation. She was able to identify objects and pictures, including that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the operation, which involved language and sensorimotor assessment.
The patient and his family were given extensive counseling before surgery. Techniques such as ice-cold saline were used to stop seizures during the three-hour procedure. It is being told that the girl is a first class student and her condition is fine and it is expected that she will be sent home soon. This important milestone in the field of pediatric neurosurgery is not only a major achievement for AIIMS, but also paves the way for similar procedures on young patients in the future.
