Doctors treat cyst in brain through a hole to avoid major surgery

Nagpur: Taking a step forward in the minimally invasive procedure, A team of doctors at a city hospital recently performed endoscopic brain surgery on a 10-year-old boy through a 2X3cm craniotomy on the left temporal region. And he’s also had treatment for an arachnoid cyst, a noncancerous growth that used to result in frequent seizures.

Neurosurgeon Dr Rahul Zamad of Wockhardt Hospital has said that the patient was advised emergency surgery and his parents were told that the growth could be cancerous.

“His parents brought the boy to us for a second opinion as they thought it was malignant cancer. But after evaluation, I also realized that the cystic swelling was non-cancerous. It was a spider cyst,” they said. Similar cysts can be treated with minimally invasive procedures.

In open brain surgery, a large incision is made in the skull, and a portion of the skull is usually removed to take out the brain. It also allows the surgeon direct access to the affected area. When Dr. Rahul Zamad also realized that open surgery was not required at all, then he decided to go for an endoscopic procedure. A small incision is made, an endoscope and other specialized instruments are inserted, and the cyst is drained.

The incision was made near his ear

“Since it was not a tumor, we fixed the cyst into the brain cavity. Within six months, it will disappear,” Dr. Rahul Zamad said. The boy did not show any adverse symptoms after the operation and was discharged two days after the procedure. The report confirmed that it was a spider cyst, and the parents were reassured again that the swelling was non-cancerous.

“The incision was made near his ear and it will soon be covered with hair. The boy has a whole life to live, and there will be no scar from the surgery. His medication will also be gradually stopped over the next few months.” they said.

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