First-ever awake brain tumor surgery performed

Islamabad: Consultant Neurosurgeon at Shifa International Hospital Islamabad Dr. Akbar Ali Khan successfully performed the first ever awake brain tumor surgery in the region.

The awake brain tumor surgery is a neurosurgical technique that allows the surgeon to remove brain tumor while the patient is awake to avoid brain damage.

Dr Akbar performed the surgery on a 60-year-old patient from Buner district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

"This is a preferred technique to remove lesions close to or involving functionally important regions of the brain, like area responsible for speech, for movement of limbs," the surgeon said.

He said the surgery allowed him to test regions of the brain before they were removed besides examining the patient’s function continuously throughout the operation.

Dr Akbar said the overall aim of the exercise was to minimise the risks of paralysis or loss of speech following such operations. He also said he team played a vital role in the anesthetic management of the patient.