Brain tumour removed through the nose
Minimally invasive technique used to treat tumour in 63-year-old
Abu Dhabi: An invasive tumour has been removed from the brain of a 63-year-old patient without opening up his skull, the Mediclinic Al Ain Hospital announced in a statement sent on February 12.
A minimally invasive technique was used to remove, through the patient’s nose, the five-centimetre growth from the pituitary gland at base of the brain.
“We started off the surgery by inserting an endoscope through the nose and used advanced tools to clear the way up until the skull base, where a small hole was made to access the designated area,” said Dr Mohammad Al Falasi, consultant otolaryngologist, head and neck surgeon at the hospital.
“The last important step in this three-hour surgery was to successfully repair the skull base, in order to avoid any brain fluid leakage that could cause life-threatening bacterial infections,” said Dr Waseem Aziz, consultant neurosurgeon at Mediclinic Al Ain Hospital.
Before the procedure, the patient had been suffering from vision loss, frequent headaches and hormonal imbalance. Left untreated, it could have permanently damaged his vision, and become life-threatening.