In a groundbreaking medical advancement, surgeons at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust have successfully removed a previously inoperable brain tumor using a minimally invasive keyhole procedure through the patient’s eye socket.
This innovative surgery offers new hope to patients with tumors once deemed untreatable due to their challenging locations.
Patient’s Journey to Recovery
Ruvimbo Kaviya, a 40-year-old nurse and mother of three from Leeds, had been suffering from debilitating headaches and facial pain.
Medical examinations revealed a meningioma—a type of tumor arising from the meninges, the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord—situated in the cavernous sinus, a deep-seated area beneath the brain and behind the eyes.
Traditionally, accessing tumors in this region required highly invasive procedures, often involving the removal of a significant portion of the skull and manipulation of brain tissue, which carry substantial risks, including seizures and long recovery times.
Innovative Surgical Approach
The surgical team at Leeds, led by neurosurgeon Mr. Asim Sheikh and maxillofacial surgeon Mr. Jiten Parmar, adopted an endoscopic transorbital approach—a technique that involves accessing the tumor through the eye socket using specialized instruments and an endoscope.
This method eliminates the need to remove parts of the skull or retract brain tissue, thereby reducing the risk of complications.
To prepare, the team conducted multiple rehearsals using 3D models of Ms. Kaviya’s head and practiced in a cadaver lab to ensure precision and safety.
Surgical Procedure and Outcome
The three-hour surgery was performed through a small incision near Ms. Kaviya’s left eye, resulting in a minimal scar.
Remarkably, she was able to walk later the same day and was discharged from the hospital within days.
Ms. Kaviya experienced double vision for about three months post-surgery but reported no other significant issues.
She expressed her gratitude, stating, “When I had the operation I thought I was possibly going to stay in the hospital for weeks or months and I was home in days.” – news.sky.com
Implications for Future Treatments
This successful procedure marks a significant milestone in neurosurgery, demonstrating that tumors previously considered inoperable can now be accessed and removed with less invasive techniques.
Mr. Sheikh highlighted the advantages of this approach, noting that it allows surgeons to reach hard-to-access areas without applying pressure on the brain, thereby minimizing the risk of postoperative complications.
Mr. Parmar added that by innovating a new technique to cut a small part of the outside wall of the eye socket, they made the operation much easier and reduced morbidity for the patient.
The success of this surgery paves the way for broader adoption of minimally invasive techniques in treating complex brain tumors, offering renewed hope to patients facing similar diagnoses.
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