Breaking New Grounds

New Delhi's Max Super Speciality Centre becomes the first hospital in Asia to install a brain suite, reports Sapna Dogra

The brain suite at Max Super Speciality Centre

While holidaying in Rajasthan, British citizen Phillip Nash suddenly fell ill and had to be airlifted to Delhi. His insurance company wanted him to fly back to Britain for an urgent brain tumor surgery. However, Nash decided to opt for Max Super Speciality Hospital and stayed put. He underwent a successful brain tumor surgery for 'Right frontal convexity Meningioma' on May 13, 2006 and was discharged on May 17, 2006.

What is unique about this surgery is that it was done by using a state-of-the-art ultra modern technology of the brain suite, which helped doctors to make a small incision right over his tumor, completely resect it and hastened his discharged uneventfully.

A small incision meant less pain, fewer dressings, no shaving of head, it gave Nash a feeling of well being and at the end of surgery a confirmed imaging of complete resection.

With the installation of a complete brain suite intra-operative system, the newly-opened Max Super Speciality Centre at Saket, New Delhi has ushered in a revolution of sorts in the field of brain tumor surgery by being the first hospital in the Asia Pacific region and third in the world to install a brain suite. The integrated brain suite system has a mobile patient table, an intra-operative MRI system, a control room with image guidance and a display system, which allows surgeons to have real time imaging during surgery.

"This technology helps reduce the brain tumor patients' risks immensely as it improves the accuracy manifold along with increasing their life span," says Dr AN Jha, Director, Neurosurgery, Max Super Specialty Hospital. The brain suite will help patients avoid a second operation because now doctors have a way to get real time images of where the tumor was hiding and moving during the procedure. The comprehensive system allows brain tumor patients to be rotated into a MRI machine so doctors can see real time residual tumor remains before ending surgery, adds Dr Jha. Already seven cases of brain tumor have been operated on in the hospital by using this novel technology.

With brain suite, it becomes fairly easier to track and remove complicated brain tumors that are buried deep or positioned near the spinal cord. In such complex cases, often the brain shifts during surgery, thereby making MRI pictures taken a day before irrelevant in guiding the procedure, informs Dr Jha and adds that with brain suite that problem has been taken care of. On being asked if the cost of procedure will be increased with this technology, Dr Jha replies that the surgery cost will be Rs 25,000 extra to conventional surgery.

Advantages

The significant advantage in comparison to the conventional brain tumor surgery is that it helps in getting a complete removal the first time without having to go back for surgery for any residual tumor, thus avoiding the chances of second operation. Also, the images can be updated as often as needed during the procedure, thereby making the surgery more precise and safe. It also minimises neurological injury by providing on-table assessment of degree of tumor removal, diagnosis and treatment of intra-operative complications prior to wound closure. Moreover, it helps in minimising the surgical risk to normal brain by giving accurate localisation and more focussed smaller craniotomies. It has also opened up new avenues of scientific research.

sapna@expressindia.com