Kathmandu, December 11

Upendra Devkota Memorial National Institute of Neurological and Allied Sciences, Bansbari, has successfully conducted the first awake brain surgery in the country. The surgery was conducted on a 22-year-old man from Kathmandu.

Sarfaraz Rain from Indrachowk, Kathmandu, fainted three times in the last seven months after suffering from seizures. Initially he visited a shaman, thinking that some evil force was at work. But it did not help him and finally he decided to go to hospital for treatment.  “On my friend’s suggestion I visited Upendra Devkota Memorial National Institute of Neurological and Allied Sciences, Bansbari, for treatment and there I was diagnosed with epilepsy. Further tests showed I had a brain tumour,” Rain said.

Dr Pratyush Shrestha, a consultant neurosurgeon at Upendra Devkota Memorial National Institute of Neurological and Allied Sciences, informed that Rain had 5×4 cm glioma inside his brain near the area that controls speech.“It was our first awake craniotomy, a surgery of brain while a patient is awake or alert,” shared Dr Shrestha, adding, “Awake brain surgery is conducted to avoid the possible risk of damaging the area of brain that affects patient’s speech and motor skills.

“The six-hour-long surgery on December 2 was successful as we removed the tumour without affecting functional areas of patient’s brain,” shared Dr Shrestha. The team that conducted the surgery in the country consisted of Dr Suresh BK, Dr Bibhusan Kalu Shrestha, Dr Shikhar Shrestha, Dr Suraj Thulung, Dr Suresh Sapkota, Dr Suman Rijal, senior neurologist Dr Lekhjung Thapa, anaesthesiologist, radiologist and nurses.