Shocking: Woman Undergoes Brain Surgery While Awake At UCH in Ibadan

A surgery on a woman's brain to remove a big tumour was
successfully done at the University College Hospital (UCH),
Ibadan, Oyo State on Monday.

The brain surgery, which involved Dr Olufemi Adeleye, a
brain surgeon and other experts, was carried out while the
woman was awake, but sedated but could hear people talk to
her.

If a patient is kept awake during the procedure, the surgeon
can monitor his or her responses with a simple series of
questions and directions, which is where the thumbs-up comes
in. Sources at the hospital confirmed that the woman, who is
recuperating at the hospital's intensive care unit is hale and
hearty and that her doctors say she would be discharged to go home few days from now.

It is recalled that the first awake brain tumour surgeries were
first carried out at the hospital two years ago.

The operation, which though complex enables the
neurosurgeons to remove tumours that would otherwise be
inoperable because they are too close to areas of the brain that
control vision, language and body movements. The surgery
could also result in a significant loss of function, if things go
wrong.

Neurosurgeons perform awake brain surgery for tumours that
have spread throughout the brain and do not have clear
borders. The procedure is performed after the patient's scalp
is numbed and usually with the patient sedated.

The neurosurgeon works very closely with the neuroanesthesiologist. Together, they will decide if awake
brain surgery is right for a particular patient, depending on the
importance of awake brain surgery in removing the tumour
without damaging critical parts of the brain, the patient's
general health and whether the patient will be able to remain
calm during the procedure and respond to the neurosurgeon.