World Tumour Day: Selected brain surgeries can be done via nose, says expert

Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, June 8

“Brain tumour surgeries are considered one of the most technically demanding procedures known in medical science. Traditionally, brain tumour surgeries are done by opening the skull but now selected brain tumour surgeries are being done via nose.”

Talking on World Brain Tumour Day, Dr Vineet Saggar, senior neurosurgeon at Ivy Hospital, said over the last few years, selected surgeries of brain tumours were being done via nose without opening the skull.

Dr Saggar, who is trained in skull-based surgeries and has done more than 100 such procedures, has recently treated a 77-year-old woman patient with a pituitary tumour. She was treated successfully without opening her skull, using a transsphenoidal approach (through the nose) recently.

The woman was presented with a loss of consciousness and altered sensorium of one-day duration in emergency.

She was carefully evaluated and was found to be suffering from pituitary tumour with apoplexy (bleeding inside the tumor) which is an emergency and if left untreated can lead to visual loss and sometimes be lethal too, said Dr Saggar. The patient made a full recovery after surgery and was discharged without any problems.

77-year-old patient treated successfully

• A 77-year-old woman patient with a pituitary tumour has been treated successfully without opening her skull, using a transsphenoidal approach (through the nose) recently.
• Transsphenoidal is a surgery performed through the nose and sphenoid sinus to remove pituitary tumours. Transsphenoidal surgery can be performed with an endoscope, microscope, or both.

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