In a remarkable incident, a patient who was going through an ‘awake brain surgery’ was able to remain awake and fully conscious and even created a drawing.
The Neurosurgery Unit, at Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital, recently conducted this successful brain surgery to remove a brain tumor.
This procedure, known as an ‘awake craniotomy’, involves operating on the brain while the patient is awake, allowing communication with the surgical team and voluntary movements.
Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital achieved another milestone as this was the first awake brain surgery ever conducted in a State hospital in Sri Lanka. The surgery focused on resecting a tumor located in the patient’s left frontal lobe. The patient remained under minimal sedation without the use of general anesthesia.
The patient, a 36-year-old sculptor, created a drawing, during the surgery, to assist the medical team in preserving areas of the brain responsible for speech, motor function, and sensory perception as they removed the tumor.
Following the successful procedure, the patient, a resident of Nochchiyagama, was discharged from the hospital without any complications.
The surgery was carried out by a dedicated medical team, including Dr. Madushanka Gomez and Dr. Rohan Paris, neurosurgeons at Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital, as well as anesthesiologists Dr. Levan Kariyawasam and Dr. Vishakha Kerner.
