By A Nose: S.A. Neurosurgeons Remove Brain Tumors In A Surprising Way

Wendy Rigby (KENS 5)

 |  Wed Sep 30, 2009 |

Neurosurgeons are constantly looking for new ways to remove delicate brain tumors. The latest technology allows some of those growths to be removed through the nose.

Louis Leal of Poteet suffers from a benign (non-cancerous) pituitary tumor. It’s deep inside his head, threatening his vision and ruining his overall health.

“I mean, I’m just so fatigued,” Leal explained. “You get very moody.”

At St. Luke's Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, neurosurgeon Dr. J.D. Day of the U.T. Health Science Center is performing Leal’s surgery in a new way. He starts with a special tool that marries the patient’s brain scans to the instruments he’ll work with. The image guidance system provides a precise “map” of sorts to help the doctor avoid critical structures while removing the tumor.

When the lights go down, an endoscope is inserted through one nostril, elongated instruments through the other, allowing the surgeon to work efficiently without an incision.

”They don’t have nearly as much pain,” Day said of patients who have this procedure. “They don’t have as much swelling. You know, the good old-fashioned way, people would have a cut under their lip. They’d be swollen though the face and bruised.”

The angled scopes and better imaging give the surgeon a much broader view of where he’s working. He’s able to suck out part of the tumor and use tools to remove the rest through the nostril.

Leal’s hope is to return to his job sooner. “I come from a family where we’re used to working,” he commented. “So I want to get back to work.”

Day says patients are able to recover in their own homes much sooner. “Most patients are out of the hospital in two days after having brain surgery,” he remarked.

Pituitary tumors are some of the most common benign brain tumors. They show up in about one in 2500 people. Not all of those require surgery, but for those who need the procedure, this approach through the nose should provide an easier recovery and in theory, a better outcome

Original Story At KENS5.com