He plays the saxophone undergoing brain surgery !
A private hospital in Rome, the Paideia International Hospital, was the scene of an incredible scene. A man undergoing brain surgery plays the saxophone among doctors and nurses. While he plays a few musical notes, ten doctors try to remove the tumor that has invaded his brain.
The operation is very delicate and requires a whole impressive technological arsenal: a camera that films the brain, a complex magnifying glass that allows the neurosurgeon to locate and excise the tumor, the latter being “drawn” to better distinguish it from healthy cells.
Operate on an awake patient’s brain
“Awakened” surgeries always cause a stir. Beyond the medical challenge they represent, they make it possible to operate on the patient, who despite his open skull and visible brain, remains conscious throughout the operation. Doctors can therefore remove as much cancerous tissue as possible without risking damaging regions of the brain involved in vital functions such as language, memory, or locomotion. ” The goal of awake surgery is to remove the brain tumor or a vascular malformation such as cavernomas located in specific areas of the brain, while preserving the patient’s quality of life. “, explains Dr. Christian Brogna, the neurosurgeon behind this extraordinary operation.
Not all patients who undergo awake surgery play the saxophone like here, but they must be stimulated and perform cognitive, memory or motor exercises to ensure that their brains are not damaged during the procedure. The patient’s cooperation is essential for an awake craniotomy to go smoothly. If this operation is the best way to remove a brain tumor while minimizing the risk of damaging the surrounding healthy cells, it is highly technical.
The saxophonist’s operation required ten specialists from all over the world and nine hours of work before being crowned with success. It is the first time that such an ambitious operation has been performed in a private hospital in Italy. ” Each awake surgery not only achieves the maximum result in eliminating pathology, but it is a real breakthrough. It offers us each time a window on the functioning of this fascinating organ, but still mysterious in many respects, which is the brain. concludes Dr. Brogna.
