KOTA KINABALU: A first brain surgery was carried out on a conscious patient successfully in Sabah by a team of surgeons from Queen Elizabeth 2 Hospital (HQE2) and University Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
The procedure known as "awake craniotomy" was performed on a 50-year-old female patient suffering from persistent headaches at the hospital here on Thursday (Jan 12).
Sabah Health Department director Datuk Rose Nani Mudin said in a statement Sunday (Jan 15) that the medical team was led by HQE2 neurosurgeons Dr M. Sofan Zenian and Dr Hezry Abu Hasan together with UMS' Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty's brain anaesthesiologist Dr Yeap Boon Tat as well as Sungai Buloh Hospital's senior consultant neurosurgeon Dr Liew Boon Seng.
She said the successful "awake craniotomy" has been carried out in Malaysia since 2010 at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Hospital Sungai Buloh and Hospital Sultanah Aminah.
She said preparations for the operation were done in November 2022 after the patient complained of persistent headaches when she sought treatment at the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sandakan in October last year.
She was diagnosed as suffering from "multiple meningioma" on the left side of her brain that was very critical.
Dr Rose said that a decision was made to carry out the "awake craniotomy" surgery to help the patient improve her quality of life.
The surgery carried out with the patient conscious reduces the risk of damaging critical brain areas that control speech and other skills.
Dr Rose said that the six-hour long operation was carried out with the patient being asked to state her name or sing a short song as part of ensuring she remains alert with anaesthesia only given in specific doses.
"After the operation, the patient only complained of a mild headache and was able to drink water. She was able to consume soft meals the next day," Dr Rose Nani said.
She said that patients that could benefit from such surgery were those suffering from cerebral aneurysm, extradural haemorrhage and chronic subdural haemorrhage.
