Doctors Perform Eye-Opening Brain Surgery
Neurologists Say It Can Be Safest Way To Operate
BOSTON -- It sounds like something you'd see in an episode of "Grey's Anatomy," doctors doing surgery on a patient's brain while the patient is awake.
But in reality, it's done all the time these days and some doctors, including Dr. Anonio Chiocca, say they wouldn't have it any other way. He keeps talking with patients right through the operation.
"Those are very unique areas that any type of damage could cause somebody to become temporarily or even permanently impaired," Chiocca said.
Chiocca removed a cancerous tumor from a female patient's brain recently and said she talked to him during the entire surgical procedure. Chiocca listened for even the slightest change in her speech and says if he had heard anything, he would have stopped before doing any damage.
Chiocca uses a four-pronged wand that helps relay images from the brain, showing him where best to cut. The wand is similar to a global positioning system, giving him precise information that is enhanced by up-to-the-minute MRI images.
Within 48 hours of surgery, the woman was back home playing her violin, even though she hasn't played in years.
"I just think it's amazing, you know? I know 10 years ago, they wouldn't be able to do that," she said.
The patient said undergoing brain surgery while she was awake didn't hurt.
"You can do a local anesthetic on the skin," said Chiocca. "But then the skull and the brain have no pain fibers. That's why we can operate on them."
The woman will need close monitoring for quite a while, but for now, her cancer is gone and her life is returning to normal. This is the second time she has had awake brain surgery.